The Other Side
by lauren424
Summary: When Beck and Jade find out that they're pregnant, their lives are flipped upside-down. Although everyone's quick to doubt Jade West as a mother, Beck is positive that there's another side to his girl. Will having a baby bring it out of her?
1. Mac & Cheese

**Author's Note**: This is a brand new story (and my first) that I'm writing! I've already written four chapters, so the next ones will be coming once I hit a certain number of followers on Twitter! Please leave comments here or tweet me at TheOtherSideFF! Thanks & XOXO!

Chapter One – Mac & Cheese

"Ooooouuuuh!"

At the sound of his girlfriend's painful moans, Beck immediately drops the plastic spoon he's been using to stir their dinner back into the pot and hurries into the living room. It's a short distance, as the apartment they share is just big enough for two, but he runs anyways. When he arrives at her side, she's still in obvious discomfort as she grips the pillows to either side of her. As Beck carefully replaces her hand into his, she begins breathing slower and deeper in her best attempt to stop the contractions.

In the absence of the constant waves of pain, Jade realizes how hungry she is. "Where's the mac and cheese?" She asks through an exhalation, turning just her head to look at Beck.

"Oh," he replies, standing back up, "it's almost—"

"Almost?" Jade asks in a whiney tone, tossing her head back to land on the couch's top.

Beck can't help but smile at his ever-moody girlfriend. "I'll have it ready in a minute." He bends over to kiss her forehead before returning back to the kitchen and finishing the pasta. Jade's in the stage of her pregnancy where she craves—and is usually only satisfied by—Kraft Mac & Cheese and mangos, so Beck does his best to make sure that those two items (and ketchup, which Jade generously dumps on both foods) are always handy.

As promised, Beck has her bowl of ketchup-covered mac and cheese delivered to her within the minute. After handing Jade her food and then getting himself the same, he joins her on the couch. "I'm sorry you keep having these... what are they call—"

"Braxton Hicks contractions," Jade finishes for him, taking another bite of her food. "Yeah," she continues, "I know you are. It still doesn't help the fact that I look like a whale or that I feel like someone is constantly punching me in the stomach, though."

"Well, technically, Babe, someone _is_ constantly punching you in the stomach," Beck offers as he places his hand lovingly on her burgeoning stomach. "Just one more month before we can meet him," he says as he rubs around her belly. Giving Jade her daily "tummy rubs" is a win-win for the couple; while Jade loves the feeling of relief that comes over her as his hands massage her, Beck enjoys the time to feel his unborn child's movements.

"It's not a him," Jade retorts, holding back an eye roll towards Beck's comment. The ongoing debate over the baby's gender has been going on since Jade found out she was pregnant just over six months ago, with new updates in the arguments popping up every day. While Beck had wanted to find out the sex when the opportunity presented itself, Jade insisted that they maintain the "element of surprise" in order to have something to look forward to. "_I'm going to be in an unbearable amount of pain_," she had said, "_but the sheer joy of me being right—and you being wrong—about the baby's sex will at least motivate me to survive labor_."

"You don't know," Beck replies confidently, a charming smile on his face.

"I _do_ know," she corrects. "It's a girl. I can…" She pauses, wondering if the ending of her sentence—"feel her"—is too sentimental to admit aloud. "I'm her mom," she finishes instead. "I'm the one that's incubating her," she says in a matter-of-fact tone, as if Beck doesn't know.

"So?" Beck asks, knowingly egging her on.

"What do you mean '_so_'?" Jade asks, furrowing her eyebrows at her boyfriend's seeming stupidity. "_So_ I can _feel_ her. I _know_."

Beck chuckles. "Well we only have to wait a few more weeks to find out who's right." Although Jade's facial expression doesn't change, he kisses her cheek and uses the remote to flip on the television. As he slings his arm around her and slowly brushes his fingers against her shoulder, Jade nuzzles her head into his chest and tries to forget about the pain. Within minutes, the eighteen-year-old is sound asleep.


	2. What's in a Name?

**Author's Note**: So I've gotten some really great feedback so far. I'm so glad you guys like it! Keep it coming and don't forget to follow TheOtherSideFF on Twitter!

Chapter Two – What's in a Name?

"C'mon, Babe. We can't miss first period again," Beck coos, continuously checking his watch to count down the amount of time they have to get to school on time.

Jade, who is lying on her side—in the most comfortable position that an eight-months-pregnant girl can be in—simply groans in obvious dissent. "Leave me here," she begs, moving only her mouth to speak to him. The reason for her exhaustion is legitimate; she hasn't had a good night's sleep in about two weeks. Something tends to wake her up every single time she falls asleep, the primary culprits including the baby's kicking, nausea, and discomfort.

"Another absence for you in Stats would end in you getting detention," He protests, gently waving the coffee mug under her nose for the second time. "You can do it, Babe. Drink the coffee and throw something on—you look good in everything."

"Not anymore," Jade argues, rolling over to a position in which she can sit up. She greedily takes the mug from him and begins to drink it quickly. It's decaffeinated—the only kind of coffee she can drink while pregnant—but by this point she's used to it. It's better than nothing to the addict, so she takes what she can get; simply the taste of her favorite liquid gives her the help to get out of bed.

Beck breaks about six laws driving to school, but the two (miraculously) make it on time for first period. By their fourth class—the one just before lunch—the couple is reunited for Theater with Sikowitz. After taking their usual seats, Beck pleases Jade with a quick back massage during the remainder of the passing period.

Before long, Jade's perky, redheaded best friend glides through the door on the arm of her new boyfriend. Every senior at Hollywood Arts had known since freshman year that Cat and Robbie would make a perfect couple, and yet somehow it had taken the two of them nearly four years to figure it out. "Hi Jade!" Cat greets in her usual airy tone. "And hello to you, Baby Ollie," she says in a baby-directed voice towards Jade's stomach. Ever since Cat had found out about the pregnancy, she had insisted on calling Beck and Jade's unborn baby Ollie as a nickname for "Oliver," the child's last name. While Beck finds it somewhat endearing, it never fails to piss Jade off. Nevertheless, she is too tired these days to argue with Cat's absent-minded personality.

"Alright, alright!" Sikowitz's booming voice comes from the front of the room to alert all of his students that class is beginning. "Take your seats, everyone," he directs. "Today we will be…" The words all seem like mush in Jade's head. Despite her efforts to pay attention in the only class she doesn't mind being in at school, all she can hear is "blah, blah, blah, blah…"

Thankfully for her, the bell rings soon enough and it's time for lunch. The usual crew—Beck, Jade, Andre, Tori, Cat, and Robbie—walks somewhat together outside to their table as quickly as possible. "So," the always-sociable Tori says as she faces Beck and Jade, starting the conversation, "do you guys have any ideas for the baby's name yet?"

As if they planned it, Beck's "yeah" and Jade's "no" come out at exactly the same time. Tori isn't the only one that looks confused, and Jade whips her head to face Beck. "We're not saying anything about the name." Although the comment is directed towards the group, Beck shrugs his shoulders and replies anyways.

"It's not like we'd be saying anything about the name, really; I mean, we haven't exactly come to an agreement…"

"Wait," Andre interrupts, "I'm confused. Why aren't you saying anything about the name? Isn't that, like, the most important part of having a kid?"

"Actually," Jade replies, her sarcastic tone in full force, "the most important part is the color of the baby's first outfit. I'm so worried about what the thing will be wearing in its first pictures."

Beck can't help but laugh before explaining the answer to his friend's question. "Jade doesn't want to tell anyone the baby's name because she doesn't want anyone to ruin a name she likes by saying negative things about it. That makes sense, but right now we haven't even agreed on any names yet. So we wouldn't be telling you the baby's name because we don't know it."

Jade rolls her eyes at the admittedly sensible comment and continues to eat her macaroni and cheese out of a thermos. "So," Beck continues, "since Jade is _sure_ it's a girl, some of the names I've suggested are Penelope, —"

"Too girly," Jade cuts in.

Beck continues. "Elizabeth, —"

"Too common," she rebuts again.

"Violet, —"

"She's not a flower."

"As you can see, we're making great progress on the whole agreement thing," Beck comments, rubbing Jade's back like his patient self always feels the need to do. "It's alright, though. We've still got a couple more weeks to figure it out."

Just as the words come out of Beck's mouth, Jade feels herself becoming increasingly wet. She knows for a fact that she hadn't just peed her pants, but the fear of what's happening prevents her from thinking it. Still, she can't ignore the puddle of water that has formed in and around her seat, and she looks up at Beck with sheer terror. "Maybe not."


	3. Thirteen Hours

Chapter Three – Thirteen Hours

"My name is Beck Oliver and my girlfriend is pregnant and we need a doctor immediately…"

The words escape his lips so fast that he's not completely sure that the nurse behind the front desk of the hospital understands him. She's eating a sandwich and is on the phone with what sounds like an unimportant caller, which frustrates Beck more than it usually would because of the intense amount of pressure he's under. Instead of directly turning her attention to him, the nurse in the obnoxiously hot pink scrubs begins to tell the person on the other end of the line about how she'll have to call them back and _blah blah blah_. Before she can finish, Beck impatiently reaches his arm over the counter and presses his finger on the telephone's switch hook to end the call for her. The appropriately startled nurse looks up to see a young, nervous, and frustrated teenager and rises from her seat.

"Is she in labor?"

"Yes," Beck answers, turning around to point to his uncomfortably seated girlfriend. "Well, we're pretty sure. Her water just broke about fifteen minutes ago." Jade is trying to breathe steadily to prevent another contraction—which she's already learned doesn't work too well—and it's obvious to the nurse that she needs to be taken to a pre-delivery room.

Within five minutes, Jade is placed in room 404 of the hospital's Maternity wing. The baby is two weeks early, resulting in lots of anxiety and unpreparedness. They had yet to pack the "delivery bag" with Jade's extra clothes and clothes for the baby, had no concrete name ideas, and were more nervous now than they'd been the entire pregnancy.

"Just try to breathe, Babe, okay?" Beck says calmly, allowing Jade to squeeze his hand as tight as she needs to in order to relieve some of the pain.

"I _am_ trying," Jade grunts, involuntarily closing her eyes and scrunching up her face as she feels another contraction coming on. Her pain is evident through the wail she releases and the severity of her hand squeeze, the former attracting her nurse into the room.

"Hey, Mama," the friendly and obviously experienced nurse greets. "How are we doing?"

"How does it _look_ like 'we're doing'?" Jade asks sarcastically, repeating the woman's tone in the best way she could. "I need the… the…" Jade irritably snaps her fingers for someone to finish her sentence.

"The epidural," the nurse answers. "Sure, we can—"

"No." The cautious tone with which Beck speaks the dangerous word is quickly followed by his explanation. "You said you didn't want it, Babe," he says kindly, facing Jade. "You said—"

"Well now I'm saying I want it!" She snaps. "I want it _now_!" As she utters her last word, another mind-searing contraction comes over her as she moans heavily in pain.

"You said that even if you wanted it for me not to give it to you," Beck reminds her. "You said you wanted to feel the pain because it was the real experience of having a kid. You said you wanted to be the first person to see the baby and hold the baby and you didn't want to be on any drugs when that happened."

As furious as Jade is at her past self, Beck's words remind her of her actual feelings. She agrees to no epidural and hopes that she won't kick herself for it later, and is about to tell Beck to kiss her when he does it anyways. He does the thing that Jade likes most: kiss her when he knows she needs or wants it. Somehow, he always seems to know the right moment to press his lips against hers and make everything better. It almost angers Jade that he knows her so well because it makes her feel predictable, but his constant reminders of how _un_predictable she is always eradicate those feelings.

Thirteen long and incredibly painful hours after Jade's water broke around one o'clock in the afternoon the day before, she's finally ready to push. Her delivery doctor, Dr. Josie Teller, is sitting in front of Jade's split legs and instructing her through each stage of the baby's birth. Jade and Beck are both sweating and everything seems to be moving in slow motion as the only five people in the room (two nurses are on hand to assist after the birth) await the arrival of Baby Oliver.

"Come on, Jade, you're almost there. Give me three more pushes," Dr. Teller encourages.

"You're doing so good, Babe. You're doing so good." Through all of the pain, Jade tunes into Beck's voice to calm her. She's been having contractions for hours, but it's two o'clock in the morning and Beck hasn't left her side for a second.

After two _big_ pushes—Jade is determined to get this baby out as soon as possible—Dr. Teller announces that she sees "a head of beautiful brown hair."

On the doctor's count of three, Jade thrusts all that she has into the push she know will bring her child into the world. Halfway through the powerful stretch, she hears it: the unbelievable sound of a baby's cry.

"It's a girl!" Dr. Teller exclaims, holding the baby up for her parents to see. She is a definite mix of both of her parents; everything from her skin (a light tan) to her eyes (green) to her hair (light brown) is a combination of Beck and Jade. She's screaming, which indicates that she may have Jade's temperament, but she Beck's has soft and beautiful facial features.

At the sight of the most beautiful thing she's ever seen, Jade's mouth unintentionally drops slightly open as she continues to breathe heavily. Beck, who is grinning from ear to ear, brushes a strand of his girlfriend's dark hair out of her face and kisses her temple. Still, she doesn't move. It doesn't even cross her mind that she's right about the baby's gender and Beck is wrong—all she can think about is how perfect her child is.

Jade is still in shock as she watches the nurses cut the umbilical cord and take her daughter to clean her up. It's a quick process, and soon enough the baby is wrapped up in a blanket and little hat. Dr. Teller hands the infant to her mother, who still has the same expression on her face. Millions of thoughts race through her head as she takes the baby into her arms and continues to stare at her. The little girl stops crying the second that she makes eye contact with Jade, much to the teenager's bliss.

Jade knows that she's said in the past that she would never love anyone except for Beck. She's said she doesn't need anyone, or anything, to survive except for him. That belief of hers, however, is changed the instant she sees her daughter. Jade needs her like she needs the air she breathes, and the stubborn, bitchy side of her almost hates the fact that her desires have transformed her into a slave to the baby girl. It's too much pleasure to have any other feelings, though, and Jade can't take her eyes off of her daughter.

Beck doesn't stop smiling as he puts his arm around his girlfriend and looks down at the newborn, but after just a few seconds of looking at her he is taken by a different vision. He turns his eyes upwards slightly to see the mother of his child more empathetic than he's ever seen her. He doesn't know exactly what she's thinking, but he knows instantaneously that she is feeling more loving than she ever has. He's never seen her do this; he's never seen her devote so much undivided attention to one particular person for so long.

And for just a few minutes, the new family of three sits silently together.


	4. The First Night

**Author's Note**: This is the last of the chapters that I've already written, but I'm I'm already working on the next one! Thank you guys so much for all of your feedback. Please keep writing reviews and don't forget to follow TheOtherSideFF on Twitter! Enjoy & XOXO

Chapter Four – The First Night

"Shhhh. Shhhh, it's okay."

Although Beck's whispers can barely be heard over the baby's crying, he still attempts to hush the newborn before she wakes up her mother. It's seven o'clock in the morning, a modest time to be waking up, but Jade hadn't fallen asleep until three hours after giving birth—five a.m.

Anyone who knows Jade knows that the girl can sleep through just about anything. Something about the sound of her baby's cry, though, wakes Jade up, and she rolls over on her side to face her boyfriend and daughter. "Beck, make it stop," she moans, pushing her head between the uncomfortable mattress and her pillow.

"I'm trying, Babe. I really am." Beck bounces up and down, pats the baby's back, and even tries to sing softly to her, but nothing prevails. She won't take the pacifier that he offers her; after five minutes, she's still wailing and there's no sense in Jade trying to sleep anymore.

"Give her to me," Jade instructs, slowly moving her pillow to a place where she can sit up comfortably. She carefully begins to sit up as she watches Beck try to calm the baby.

"No, Babe, you should try to sleep. It's only been, what, two hours? You—"

"What, so you can handle two hours of sleep but I can't?"

"No, of course not, but you just went through lab—"

"Give her to me," Jade repeats, her crabby attitude making the words sterner.

Beck reluctantly complies and hands their screaming daughter to his girlfriend, who has her arms outstretched for the baby. Once again, the newborn is pacified when placed in her mother's arms. Her cries die down from Jade's soft hushing and rocking, and Jade can't help but feel proud that her daughter is clearly on her side. She feels like she deserves it after carrying her for nine whole months; she put up with the nausea, the cramps, the weird food cravings, the stares from people at school (and everywhere else she went), and everything else that comes with being a teenage mother; the least her daughter can do for her is prove to everyone else that she loves Jade the most. Within minutes, the baby is back asleep.

"Do you want me to put her back in the box, or…?

"The _box_?" Jade repeats, her eyes narrowing at Beck. Her facial expression is all he needs to understand that she thinks the comment was idiotic, but he hadn't known what to refer to the place that the baby slept as.

"I don't know what it's called," Beck defends.

"Well I don't either, but don't call it a _box_," Jade furthers, choosing to then drop the subject so that she can stare at her daughter some more. "You know," she says, "it's really bothering me that she doesn't have a name."

"I know," Beck says. "Me too." He flops back down on the couch and reaches for the baby name book—a gift from Tori and Andre—and begins flipping through it again. "I was thinking that," he says, looking back up at her, "we could make Jade her middle name." He pauses to hear Jade's reaction, hoping that in her exhausted mood she doesn't completely reject the idea, but she doesn't say anything.

"It makes sense," he continues, "because her eyes are a jade green color, and obviously because it's your name. Since she clearly likes you so much… it's fitting."

Jade doesn't take her eyes off of the baby as she ponders the idea. "Yeah, okay," she murmurs. When she finally looks back at Beck, her eyes are genuine. "I like that." After taking a deep breath, she adds, "But she still needs a first name."

"What about…" Beck starts as he reads through dozens of names, dragging out the second word. As he quickly passes through the names, one in particular catches his eye. "Oh, I love _this_ name," he comments. "What about Shiloh?"

Jade takes immediate liking to the name, and looks at her daughter with the idea in mind. "Shiloh," she repeats softly. "Shiloh Jade Oliver." Jade nods her head as she looks back to Beck. "How are you so good at this?"

"I dunno," he admits, shrugging his shoulders. "How are you so good at _that_?" He nods up at Jade, who is holding the still sound-asleep baby girl.

"Go back to sleep," she says in lieu of answering him. "You're getting cheesy."

Beck lets out a tired, small laugh and, after confirming that she's sure, rests his head on the couch arm to fall asleep. Of course, moments after he's out, Shiloh begins to stir in Jade's arms.

After ensuring that Beck is actually sleeping, Jade perches her knees at a perfect angle for setting the baby between her legs. She keeps her knees together as she carefully sets Shiloh in front of her to get a better look at her daughter, who is opening her eyes.

"Hi, ShilohBug," Jade whispers, and then quickly comes to the realization that her brain is turning to mush. "_Oh, God_," she thinks, "_where the fuck did _that_ come from_?" She rolls her eyes at the automatic mommy-mode that has just taken over, and concludes that if she's the kind of girl who always says what she feels—and she is—then she's going to do it now, too.

"I love you so, _so _much," Jade confesses, still keeping her voice down. "I promise that I'll always love you, even if you get your eyebrow pierced and even if you want to be an actress and even if…" Jade is about to say "even if you like the color pink," but she can't bring herself to. "Well," she says instead, "you're definitely my kid, so we won't have to worry about that."

As she finishes speaking, Shiloh begins to whimper a little bit, which Jade actually finds to be cute. A quick glance at the bedside clock tells her that—according to the tentative feeding schedule that Dr. Teller gave her—it's time for the baby to nurse. Keeping Shiloh propped up on her legs, Jade pulls her hospital gown down and unlatches her bra. She's still unbelievably tired, but it isn't as if the newborn can nurse from someone else.

"Okay," Jade initiates, "here we go." She carefully turns Shiloh into a position where the baby can nurse, and it isn't as hard as she thought it'd be. Jade, much to everyone's eventual surprise, is actually very nurturing. The only person who has seen this side of her, of course, is Beck—and she even keeps it from _him_ sometimes.

Beck wakes up after two hours of sleep, and Jade is nursing Shiloh on the other side. He rises to kiss Jade, who is looking attractive even in her state. He raises his eyebrows playfully at the sight of her breasts—which have grown a substantial amount since she became pregnant—and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. "How's she doing?"

"She's good," Jade answers, even giving Beck a hint of a smile. At this point, it's a bit of a delirious smile from her complete lack of sleep, but Beck takes it and kisses her again. Maybe, he thinks, this won't be as bad as everyone had told them. Maybe, together, they can do it.


	5. Today's the Day

Chapter Five

"Today's the big day!"

Cat Valentine's bubbly voice rings through the room as she enters room 404, turning Beck and Jade's heads towards the door. The new mom's best friend hands her the breakfast she'd picked up for her and then makes her way over to Beck. He's holding Shiloh, who is cooing loudly and making her dad laugh.

"There's the cutest little baby in the whole wide world!" Cat exclaims as she makes funny faces at the baby. Shiloh, obviously intrigued, stares at the redhead with her big green eyes as she talks. "Are you excited to go home with your mommy and daddy today?" Cat asks in a baby-directed voice, hopefully not expecting an answer of any kind. After asking Beck's permission, she carefully takes the baby into her arms and sits on the side of Jade's bed. Jade doesn't like anyone to hold Shiloh except for her parents and sometimes Dr. Teller, but Cat is certainly an exception.

She is surprisingly good with the newborn, and she absolutely loves holding her. Throughout Jade's entire pregnancy, Cat had been the one friend that was completely supportive and always eager to do anything that could make Jade happier. Nothing about that has changed since Shiloh's birth, and since the baby usually seems content with Cat, Jade allows it.

Just as she's finishing her breakfast, Dr. Teller walks into the room with a warm smile on her face. "Today's the big day," she says cheerfully, reiterating the words she couldn't have known Cat had said just minutes ago. For a second, Jade swears they planned it. "We have you scheduled to check out of the hospital at noon today," she continues, "and then you'll be back again in about four weeks for Shiloh's one-month checkup."

Jade can't listen to Dr. Teller's next words after hearing "one month." It seems like so long from now; she can't even remember what she had for dinner two nights ago (although, admittedly, it was probably mac and cheese) and yet it's going to be nearly _thirty_ of those nights—nights probably just like the past two sleepless ones—before she comes back. Although she has no plans to admit it, Jade is becoming increasingly nervous about being a parent.

By the time her mind settles down, the doctor is leaving the room and a new group is soon arriving. "Andre just texted me," Beck says as he looks at his iPhone. "He, Tori, and Robbie are on their way up here." The trio—the other half of Beck, Jade, and Cat's usual crew—had yet to see Shiloh on account of Jade's claim that more people bring more germs. While her statement is naturally true, she continuously ignores the nurse's approval for multiple guests. However, since Beck and Jade will only be at the hospital for several more hours today, she knows that the guests can't stay for long.

Within three minutes, Andre, Tori, and Robbie were walking into the hospital room—none of them with a free hand. Tori comes in first, holding a gift bag in one hand and a coffee in the other. Andre and Robbie, carrying presents and flowers respectively, follow her in and set the contents on the room's table.

Jade tries to hide her confusion about all of the bright colored gifts and plants as she watches Beck give hugs to their friends. Cat cautiously hands the baby to Jade so that she can hug everyone, too, and she can't help but smile a little at her tiny daughter. The infant is dressed in a navy blue onesie, one of the items Beck had grabbed during his quick trip home two days ago. Although Jade hadn't liked the idea of him leaving her, she was certainly grateful for her extra clothes, as well as a few blankets, outfits, and little toys for Shiloh.

She doesn't get to look at her daughter for long before a gasp draws her attention upwards to see Tori, who's staring lovingly at Shiloh. "Jade," she breathes, her hand moving up to cover her mouth, "she's _beautiful_!" At the sound of her words, Andre and Robbie walk over to see what all of the fascination is about.

"Damn," Andre says through a smile, "that's a good-lookin' baby." He gives Beck a friendly fist-pump as the two move out of the way for Robbie to see, and the curly-haired techie only spends two seconds looking at Shiloh before Jade pushes him out of the way.

"So," Tori says in an excited, only-annoying-to-Jade voice, "as you can see, we brought some presents. The bag with the pink and purple tissue paper is from Trina and I, the flowers are from Lane, and the wrapped box is from Sikowitz, so who _knows_ what's in that one?"

"Wow, this is really nice of you guys," Beck says, beginning to open the presents.

"Oh," Tori adds as she picks up the coffee, "and _this_ is for you, Jade."

It confused and frustrated Jade that Tori was always so nice to her, but she's in (nor has she ever been in) any position to turn down coffee. As she uses her free hand to take the to-go cup, Tori asks the one question Jade hoped she wouldn't. "Can I… hold her? I mean, if that's okay."

Jade holds back an eye roll solely because of the coffee she's just been handed, and looks up at Tori. "She doesn't really like people." Truthfully, Jade has no idea whether or not Shiloh likes anyone besides her, Beck, or Cat because no one else has ever held her. Because she's Jade's child, though, she assumes that the old adage "like mother, like daughter" holds true.

"Jade," Tori dares with a smile, "she's just a baby."

She takes a deep breath. "Only for a second," she says as she gently places the infant into Tori's open arms.

Right on cue, Shiloh begins whimpering as soon as she's taken away from Jade. The whimpers quickly escalate to loud cries as Tori does her best to calm the baby. "Oh, _no_," she whines as she helplessly bounces Shiloh up and down.

Jade smiles at her with an I-was-right face, and holds out her arms for Tori to give the baby back. As usual, Shiloh is pacified by her mom as Tori stares in complete bewilderment. "So," she says, looking back and forth between Beck and Jade, "she likes _Jade_ the best? Out of everyone?"

"Yep," Beck answers. "She's literally the only one who can stop the crying."

"But…" Tori trails off, still amazed at the face.

"Tori," Jade says, "call me when _you_ push a watermelon out of _your_ vagina and get to be the one that your kid likes the best."

Tori makes a face and, along with Jade, turns her attention to the gift-opening being done by Beck. So far, he's opened a box with a onesie from Sikowitz that says "I Heart Coconuts", which amuses all of them except for Jade.

"Is that some kind of boob joke?" She asks disgustedly. "Ew, Beck, throw it away."

Beck chuckles as Andre hands him the next gift, the one from the Vega sisters. Through the tissue paper, Beck pulls out a nice-sized diaper bag. It's black with the initials S.J.O. embroidered in turquoise on the front, and even Jade thinks it's cute.

Before long, it's eleven o'clock and everyone—including Cat—bids their goodbyes to let the new parents prepare themselves for leaving the hospital. Jade, who's showered and dressed in her favorite black sweat suit, holds Shiloh while Beck packs everything up and ensures that nothing is left in the room. They make their noon checkout just in time and walk out to the car they'd driven to the hospital in, this time with one extra little person.

It takes nearly twenty minutes to figure out how to work the new car seat, but the two finally get Shiloh buckled in safely and are able to get in the car themselves.

"Hey, Beck?" Jade asks in an unsteady tone.

"Yeah, Babe?"

"Are you… sure about this?"

"Well it's too late now," he jokes through a smile.

Jade rolls her eyes and is about to speak again when Beck kisses her.

"I'm sure."

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry if this one was sort of boring; it was a transition chapter. Stay tuned for Chapter Six, though, which will be a flashback to when Jade finds out she's pregnant. As always, keep reviewing and don't forget to follow on Twitter at TheOtherSideFF! XOXO


	6. The Flashback: Part One

Chapter Six

**Author's Note**: This is a FLASHBACK chapter.

"Take it, Jade. You really need to." Tori shoves the little white plastic stick towards Jade for the third time, genuinely hoping that she'll listen.

Sick of being told what she knows she has to do, Jade grabs the pregnancy test from Tori and holds in tightly between her fingers. "I don't know why I told you about this," she says, beginning to pace back and forth. "Cause I'm an idiot, that's why."

Tori holds back an eye roll as she tries to maintain her composure. "Jade, I—"

"It's just that Cat would've freaked out and I obviously can't tell Beck because—"

"Jade!" Tori grabs ahold of her sometimes-friend's shoulder to make her quiet and still. "I get why you told me. You had to tell someone and I seemed like the best option. I know. But because you told me, it's my job now to make sure that you get this taken care of. So take the test. Now."

Normally, at the sound of someone speaking to her in this kind of demanding tone, Jade would reach for her scissors. This is a situation unlike any other, though, and she can't run anymore. She stares at the floor for another minute of silence, and then hastily thrusts her black over-the-shoulder bag at Tori and pushes one of the bathroom stall doors open.

Jade can't believe it herself; she never thought she'd be in this position: squatting over a toilet in the girl's bathroom of Hollywood Arts High School, her fate in the tumultuous hands of a piece of plastic. As she zips her black jeans back up, she can't bring herself to look at the results. After washing her hands and taking her bag back from an anxious Tori, she takes a deep breath and looks at the stick.

_Pregnant_, it reads in little black letters.

Without saying a word, Jade pulls some paper hand towels out of the dispenser and wraps up the test tightly before tossing it far into the trash can. She looks up at Tori, her face completely emotionless. "You'll drive me to the clinic after school."

With that, Jade makes her way to the door and swings it open to leave the bathroom, leaving Tori shocked in her stance.

"So… it's not that I mind driving you or anything," Tori says in a cautious voice as she pulls her car out of the HAHS parking lot, "but are you sure that—"

"Look, Vega," Jade interrupts sternly, "I don't need your counseling. This is _my_ body, and it's _my_ decision. I don't need to tell Beck because he doesn't need to know. _No one_ needs to know, got it?"

"Yes, but—"

"No, no buts," Jade replies. "The only reason that I'm having you drive me is because I have to. Planned Parenthood requires that you have someone with you to make sure that you're certain about the decision and because apparently you shouldn't drive afterwards… or some shit like that. I just… If you're gonna do this, don't try to talk me out of it. I've made up my mind. It's not a big deal."

Tori wishes so badly to persuade her that it _is _a big deal, but keeps her mouth shut in compliance with Jade's wishes. She feels terrible about having to keep it from Beck (and the rest of their friends), but she can't imagine the terror that Jade is feeling right now and decides to put it past her.

"Okay," Jade says upon parking, "let's go." She reaches for the car door handle, and hesitates for just a few seconds before pushing it open.

"Name?" the woman behind the front desk asks as the girls enter the building.

"Jade West," she answers firmly, approaching the desk with an unusually (slightly) timid stride. "I have an appointment for five o'clock."

"Right," the woman replies, handing her a clipboard with what looks like a lot of papers. "You'll need to fill all of these out. Are you under eighteen?"

"Yeah; I brought my sister with me, right here." Jade motions to Tori, who waves nervously.

"Okay," the woman says, seeming satisfied. "Just fill 'em out and bring it back."

Jade takes the clipboard and walks to the seating area of the room, where she and Tori find two chairs side-by-side.

"Why'd you tell her I was your sis—"

"I didn't want her to ask any more questions, like your relationship to me or how close we are or how concerned you are with my health."

When Tori looks confused, Jade grabs a brochure from the inn table and hands it to her. Inside are suggestions for the kind of person one should bring to the clinic with them when getting an abortion, and Tori nods her head in realization. "Got it."

By the time Jade fills out every tedious line of paperwork, it's only three minutes 'til five. She doesn't spend even that long waiting, though, because the woman tells her that she can go "back" upon handing in the work.

Jade looks back at Tori for a moment, and Tori does her best to nod her head in encouragement. "I'll wait in here," she says softly.

Jade is nearly shaking with anxiety as she follows a nurse through the door and into the next room. "About how long will this take?"

"I dunno," the nurse answers, handing her a hospital gown to change into. "It depends on how far along you are."

Jade pauses for a second before speaking again, afraid of seeming like an immature teenager. "What exactly… does that mean… 'how far along' I am?"

The nurse's voice is empty, as if she's answering a question she's heard a thousand times.

"How old your baby is, basically," she answers.

Jade swears that her heart skips a beat when she hears the word "baby." Aren't the people here supposed to use less emotional words, like "fetus" or "thing"? She thinks for a split second about turning around and running out the door, but comes to her senses and nearly slaps herself for being so hesitant.

"We'll get started in just a few minutes," the nurse continues. "Put that on. I'll be right back."

Jade's hands are still shaking as she removes most of her clothes and covers herself with the faded blue gown. She lies on the patient table, propping herself up with her elbows, and waits in terrible anticipation for the nurse to come back.

After the longest thirteen minutes of Jade's life, the woman returns to the room and begins setting up the equipment to perform the procedure. Jade can count with one finger the number of times she has sweat, but this occasion makes history as the second. Little beads of perspiration cover her hairline, and she can feel them under her arms and even in the creases behind her knees.

"Um," Jade says, needing to ask her next question, "does it have a heartbeat yet?"

"Yes."

"Um," she starts again, "how do you know? What if I'm… like… not _pregnant_ enough? Like, what if it hasn't gotten to that point yet?"

The nurse seems slightly annoyed, but annoying people has never bothered Jade. "By the time you can possibly know that you're pregnant," she answers anyways, "the fetus has a heartbeat."

Jade's own heartbeat is skyrocketing as gazillions of thoughts shoot through her mind. "_So,_" she thinks, "_there's a thing inside of me… half-me, half-Beck… that already has a heartbeat_." Just as she's about to ask if "it" can feel pain, she remembers a time that Beck had made a half-joke about if they were to get married and have kids together.

"_It would have brown hair_," he had said through a smile, "_with pretty green eyes like yours_."

Without saying another word, Jade swings her legs over the table, grabs her clothes as fast as possible, and runs across the hall into the bathroom.

As she rips off the gown and hastily re-dresses herself, she doesn't notice that her pale skin is completely flushed—or that her eyes have welled up with rare tears, some of which are already running down her face.

Leaving the gown on the bathroom floor, she opens the door to see the nurse standing in the doorway. "Miss West, I—"

"I changed my mind. That's all." Jade wipes the smeared black make-up out from under her eyes as she pushes past the nurse and enters back again into the waiting room. Tori immediately rises upon seeing Jade in this unfamiliar state, and, after grabbing their bags, follows her out of the clinic.


	7. The Flashback: Part Two

Chapter Seven – The Flashback: Part Two

"Jade!" Tori calls after the girl, who is making a beeline to the car. By the time she catches up with her, they're both standing outside of Tori's car.

"Just unlock the doors," Jade demands, and gets in as fast as possible once she hears the lock's click.

"Jade," Tori repeats, closing her door and turning to face her friend, "what happened in there? Did you do it? You were only back there for like, fifteen min—"

"No." Jade's head is down, and her long, dark brown hair is draping over both sides of her face. The girls sit in silence for what seems like a long time until Jade, for some reason, feels like she owes it to Tori to explain.

"I couldn't." Without looking up, she sniffles quietly and rubs her eyes to avoid the make-up getting everywhere. "The nurse was telling me how the… the baby—the _baby_—has a heartbeat… and then I thought of Beck. I thought of the time he told me that if we ever had a baby, he hoped it would have my eyes…" Jade gives her eyes one last wipe and finally looks up at Tori. "It was just too much. I just couldn't do it."

Tori nods her head a couple of times and boldly puts a gentle hand on Jade's shoulder. "I think you did the right thing," she admits quietly, subsequently moving her hand to the stick to put the car in reverse.

"So, uh, where am I taking you? Do you want to go home?"

"No," Jade says through an exhale. "Take me to Beck's."

Once she knows the destination, Tori begins to head in the direction of Jade's boyfriend's house. She can't help but wonder what his reaction to the entire situation will be. It's not as if she'll be staying for their conversation, obviously, but she can only hope that she'll discover little tidbits of it later on.

The girls ride in silence until Jade's accusing voice breaks it. "How do you know the way to Beck's house?" Her voice is jealous and suspicious, as it usually is when talking to any other girl about Beck.

She's about to answer with the truth, which is that Beck had given a then-license-less Tori a ride to school several months ago, but decides that the answer will bring too much complication. "I just got his address from The Slap."

Jade seems satisfied with this and gathers her things—and herself—when they pull up in front of the Oliver home. Before getting out, Jade turns to look at Tori, to whom she owes a lot.

"Tori," she says before pausing, "thanks. I really do owe you one."

"No problem," she replies. "Good luck."

Jade nods her head once in a sign of gratitude and exits the car to face Beck's house. "Here we go," she says under her breath before starting her walk up the path to the door.

A quick look at the open garage tells her that she's in luck; neither of his parents' cars are there. She watches her hand shake slightly as she reaches up to push the door of his RV open, something she's done a million times. "Jade?" she hears him ask once she's inside.

Jade watches Beck get up from his bed, where he's doing his homework, to greet her at the entrance. Upon seeing her, he automatically knows that something is wrong.

"Jade," he says again, kissing her forehead, "come in. Come sit down." Jade, still silent, closes the door behind them and silently follows him over to his bed. "What's wrong, Babe? Is everything okay?"

Jade wants nothing more than to just tell him casually what has happened. She doesn't want to cry about it anymore, especially since she's just chickened out of her only other option besides keeping the baby. She wishes that she hadn't so hastily gone to the clinic, because maybe if Beck had been there she would have been able to go through with it. Then again, Jade has a hard time convincing herself that Beck would've chosen the abortion. She reminds herself that she's about to find out, and tries to gather her thoughts once more.

"Um," she starts, hoping that she can utter the two words she has to say without getting emotional. "Beck," she tries again, not able to get the phrase out.

Before she can make a third attempt to tell him, she feels all of the tears inside her surfacing and beginning to release themselves.

"Jade," Beck breathes, still confused as to what could possibly be wrong. He wraps his arms around her in a tight hug and feels her shaking against his body. Her face is pressed against his shoulder and her arms are looped under his armpits in a desperate grip.

"I'm pregnant," she whispers, only loud enough for his nearby ears to hear.

Beck doesn't say anything, and continues to hold her in his arms for another five or six minutes. He's shocked at the fact that their double protection—his condom _and _her birth control—weren't enough to prevent a pregnancy, but is mature enough to understand that what happened during sex isn't the primary concern now.

After a while, the two mutually pull away from each other slowly in order to be face-to-face.

"I found out today at lunch," she says through slow breaths, answering what she knows would've been his first question. "And… I had Tori take me to the clinic after school."

Beck's eyebrows rise at the news; although it's not unlike Jade to make rash and impulsive decisions, he'd have thought that this would be different. "You went—"

"Yes," she answers before he can finish. "Yes, I went. And I panicked because the stupid nurse lady told me that it had a heartbeat and then I thought of you and that stupid time you told me that stupid thing about our future kid having my green eyes and—"

"Jade," Beck interrupts. "So… we still have a baby, yes?"

Jade sniffles again and tries to mask her confusion at the sound of his words. Does this mean he's happy or unhappy about the fact that she didn't go through with the abortion? He _did_ use the words "we" and "baby," which hopefully mean good things in his mind.

"Yeah," she mutters, embarrassed that she hadn't been able to take care of the situation on her own.

"Wow," he says, running a hand through his beautiful hair. "Okay."

Jade wipes her eyes again. "_Okay_?"

"Yeah," Beck answers, almost casually. "Okay."

"You do know what this means, right?"

"Well, when a teenager gets pregnant, there are typically three options: abortion, adoption, or becoming parents. Neither one of us wants an abortion, and—"

"Wait," Jade cuts in, "what do you mean 'neither of us'? You… don't want one…?"

"No." He answers without even a hint of hesitation. "I think it's pretty messed up. We had sex and, although we didn't plan it, we always knew that getting pregnant was a slim possibility. So… how would it be fair to our kid to punish it for our actions?"

Jade hasn't ever thought about abortion in terms of Beck's reasoning, but the words came out of his mouth as if there could never be any other explanation.

"Anyways," he continues, "I know you, and I know that you wouldn't be in for incubating a baby for nine months and putting up with all of the pain and stuff just to give it to someone else."

Jade rolls her eyes at the thought—and at how well he knows her—and lets him continue.

"So, I figure the only option left is the third one: becoming parents."

"You seem oddly okay with this," Jade admits, her voice still suspicious.

"Jade," Beck says, even breaking a smile, "what other choice do we have?" As he pulls her back into a hug, the two fall backwards into a laying-down position.

"Easy, killer," Jade says, "this is exactly how we got ourselves into this mess."

Beck has to laugh as he pulls Jade in closer to him. She rests her hand on his chest and nuzzles her head into his neck as he kisses the top of her head. Just as they get comfortable, they hear drops of rain outside. Since both Beck and Jade's favorite weather type is a thunderstorm, the two are pleased to listen to the increasingly strong rain beat against the top of the RV.

The thunder begins to crash, but the couple lies on Beck's bed in peaceful silence. As a tired and stressed Jade falls asleep, Beck promises himself that he'll never leave her.

"I love you, Jade West," he whispers. "I love you, and I love our kid, and I always will." With that, he lets his tired eyes close a bit, and before he knows it he's asleep.


	8. Oh, the Tears

Chapter Eight

"Beck."

The name barely makes it out of Jade's mouth, and even as it does, her face is half-mushed into her pillow so it's hardly audible. Jade knows that there's no way he's sleeping through the baby's cries and reminds herself that there's also no way she can get out of bed for the fourth time in one night.

"Beck," she moans again, carelessly tossing her arm over to hit some part of his body. "Get her."

"I can't," he whispers, more asleep than awake.

Jade doesn't know how long Shiloh has been crying for, but she can't take it for much longer. She forces her head up to look at the alarm clock and finds that, much to her dismay, it's only five o'clock in the morning. She had breastfed just forty-five minutes ago, so she knows that the baby isn't crying because she's hungry. Unfortunately for her, though, figuring out _why_ Shiloh is upset isn't as important as simply stopping it.

When it finally bothers her that her child is crying and she's not doing anything about it, Jade slowly sits up and rips the covers off of herself. Her anger is from a combination of things: the fact that she has to get up, the fact that Beck doesn't, and the thought that—since this is how it'd been for six nights—it's going to be like this for a while. No matter how much her exhaustion fuels her fury, however, she can't help but feel at least a little better when the tiny baby hushes her cries upon being held in her mother's arms.

Jade walks with Shiloh over to the rocking chair in one corner of the bedroom, which contains a queen-sized bed for Beck and Jade, a dresser they share, a nightstand, and now—because of Shiloh—a crib and the rocking chair. There's not much walking room, but the couple just tries to remember how lucky they are that Beck's dad had allowed him to access his trust fund upon turning eighteen.

Although neither of their parents approved of their lifestyle—living together with their newborn baby at the age of eighteen—Beck and Jade hadn't ever been close enough to their families to really care. Jade's father (and, of course, his new wife) had basically told Jade that if she didn't get an abortion then she wasn't going to live under their roof. Beck's parents had expressed their disappointment about the situation but—thank goodness—hadn't let it alter the trust fund negotiation set up many years ago. The money had originally been for Beck to support himself with a more-than-comfortable lifestyle while he tried to make it as an actor, but obviously the pregnancy changed all of that.

Despite Jade's accusations, it doesn't bother Beck that his money goes towards rent, hospital bills, Jade, and the baby; "_You're my family_," he constantly tells her.

As Jade gets herself into a comfortable position in the chair, she lays her head back against the seat and rocks slowly back and forth. Her eyes close involuntarily as she hopes that Shiloh falls back asleep, but within the minute she begins to whimper again. Jade moans under her breath at the sound of anything but silence, and an impossible thought crosses her mind.

"_There's no way_," she thinks to herself. "_I love this kid, but I'm too fucking tired for that_."

When the whining starts to turn into a cry, however, she is forced to re-evaluate the situation. Jade takes a deep breath and holds Shiloh close to her chest.

"There's only this," she sings quietly. "There's only us…"

After hearing just a few lines of her mother's beautiful voice, Shiloh begins to quiet down and soon has stopped fussing completely. Although it hurts to sing because her throat is dry from lack of sleep, she continues flawlessly. Jade wonders why she's never thought of singing to Shiloh before, as it's obviously successful, but she's too tired to really question herself. By the time she's finished singing her favorite song from the _Rent_ soundtrack, Shiloh is sound asleep.

Jade's body feels like a wasteland, and although she's not in the most comfortable position, she can't bring herself to get up. She leans her head back again and, making sure that she has a tight grip on Shiloh, lets herself close her eyes. She's only got about an hour until the sun rises, but nothing is stopping her from taking those sixty minutes for what they are—so she does.

When Beck wakes up, it's seven thirty, half an hour before Shiloh's next feeding time. He opens his eyes to a view that makes him smile even after just four hours of sleep: his girlfriend and daughter, both fast asleep in the rocking chair together. He contemplates snapping a quick picture, but the thought of putting in the effort to do that is almost more exhausting than the action itself would probably be. Instead, he walks quietly into the kitchen to begin brewing another pot of coffee.

He himself is in desperate need of the beverage, as he has been every morning for the past several months, and Jade has been slowly weaning herself back onto it. Although her original plan had been to drink _at least_ ten cups a day to catch up on all of her lost time, Dr. Teller had scared her with the thought of giving her already-energetic child breast milk laced with caffeine.

Beck sits in silence as he downs his first cup of coffee. Before Shiloh, he hadn't been much of a coffee drinker unless he absolutely needed it, but now he had to have it every day just to stay awake. After he finishes off the mug, he quietly returns to the bedroom to see that Shiloh is stirring slightly in Jade's arms. Before the baby can make any real noise, he carefully takes her from Jade, puts her in the crib, and puts the pacifier in her mouth to prevent her from crying.

Once she's settled, Beck makes his way back over to the rocking chair and slowly places his arms under Jade's lower back and legs. Between his strength and her small bone structure, he's able to pick her up and carry her back to their bed. He sets her on her back and she lies still he pulls the covers back over her. After kissing her forehead, Beck picks Shiloh up out of her crib and walks her into the living room.

"Hi, gorgeous," he says to her as he sits down on the couch. "You're a week old today. Isn't that crazy?" Beck tickles her tiny stomach gently as she moves her arms around, which makes him laugh. "You look _just_ like your mom, you know that? You've got her pretty green eyes and her cute pouty lips." Beck loves looking at her, and takes a million pictures of her before it's finally time to wake Jade up to feed her an hour later.

"Morning, Babe," he whispers as he kisses Jade on the cheek. Beck is holding Shiloh in one arm and a cup of coffee in the other as he sits down beside her on the bed.

As Jade opens her tired eyes, she notices where she is and immediately furrows her eyebrows in confusion. She opens her mouth to speak, but Beck gets his words out before she can. "You fell asleep in the chair so I moved you when I woke up about an hour ago." Jade doesn't know how to respond to his words; how is it possible that Beck can be constantly sweet, caring, and…perfect? She's feeling oddly emotional today and wants nothing more than to lie in his arms and kiss him, but she's got a baby to feed and that's just not going to happen today.

"Thanks," she says under her breath instead, giving him a small smile.

"I love you," he reminds her, and leans over to kiss her lips. Their bodies aren't touching as much as they could because they're careful not to squish Shiloh, but a kiss is a kiss and Jade relishes in the fact that—even after no sleep—they're just as food as they've always been.

Beck smiles as he pulls away just a bit to look into her eyes, and he hears the words he rarely gets to hear.

"I love you too," Jade whispers, careful not to smile to avoid being too romantic. "Alright," she says as they distance themselves, "hand her over."

Jade takes the little girl into her arms and pulls her shirt down to let her daughter nurse. As Beck moves to sit next to her and casually puts his arm around her shoulder, Jade takes her coffee and begins sipping it slowly.

"So," Beck says, "have you been thinking any about school?"

"Yeah," she replies sarcastically, "I've got a newborn baby that keeps me up twenty-one hours out of the day but all I can think about is school."

"Okay, okay. But we do need to at least _start_ talking about it," he admits. "It's only September, so we've got a while until winter break. I know I'll be going back next week, but when are you thinking that you'll want to start again?"

As he finishes speaking, Beck looks over to see that Jade obviously hasn't been listening to any of his words. Her eyes are watering and he doesn't know whether to be more confused or happy at this suddenly emotional Jade. Although he's positive that her out-of-wack hormones are to blame, he has to wonder how messed up her body is for it to alter even _Jade's_ normally strongly sour mood.

"Um, Jade?" He asks in a gentle voice, cautious not to say anything that might upset her. She's staring intently at the baby girl and the only sound she makes is a small sniffle.

"Jade?"

"What!?" She retorts before he can even get her full name out, whipping her head to face him for a quick second before looking back down at Shiloh. Jade wipes a falling tear from her eye before it drops, and sniffles quietly again.

"Is everything…okay?"

Jade is quiet for almost a minute until she can't contain her emotions anymore. As much as she hates it, she has to get it out. "Beck," she breathes, bringing her hand up to wipe a few more tears, "she's a whole week old today."

Beck purses his lips, not knowing how on earth he should respond. As he racks his brain for any explanation, all he can think about is when Tori told him about the incident after he and Jade broke up a couple of years ago. Beck almost didn't believe Tori when she'd told him that Jade had cried over a broken kite, but watching her now, it seemed easily conceivable.

Jade doesn't take her eyes off of Shiloh, who's staring up at her mother as she nurses. Beck squeezes his hand lovingly against her shoulder. "It's okay, Babe…Babies grow…It's normal—"

"I know it's normal!" She snaps.

"Right," he says quickly. He decides it's best to keep quiet and just let her do the talking.

"You will never tell anyone about this," Jade says, now looking up at Beck with a straight face. Even though her eyes are slightly red from crying, her facial expression remains serious.

Beck smiles; _there's_ his Jade.


	9. A Crazy Idea

**Author's Note**: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for you feedback on my story so far. I'm so glad that you guys like it! Please continue to leave reviews, as they definitely make me write faster, and tweet me your thoughts & ideas at TheOtherSideFF! Thanks again and enjoy Chapter Nine! XOXO

Chapter Nine

"Babe, we should really get going or we're gonna be late."

Beck's words are intended to persuade his girlfriend to move faster, but, as expected, they only frustrate her. Jade isn't dressed yet because she's been trying to get everything ready for the first time to leave the house since Shiloh's birth. It's Monday, just four days after the newborn's one-week mark, and a very important day for Beck and Jade. The couple had received an email from Lane, the school's guidance counselor, inviting them to a meeting to discuss their "special" situation.

Since Beck hasn't officially started back at school again yet, and Jade hasn't made plans to do so, the meeting would start when first period usually would: nine o'clock. While getting up and ready for school hadn't been a problem for Beck or Jade in the past, doing it with an infant is a completely different story. Both of them had been up since five in the morning with Shiloh, but hadn't been awake enough to start getting ready until around seven.

They had started by giving the baby her bath, which had so far proved to be consistently disastrous. Shiloh _hated_ bath time and screamed throughout the entire process, much to the new parents' dismay. Once the baby was dry, Beck began getting himself dressed while Jade started on getting Shiloh into some of her little clothes. She was apparently feeling particularly squirmish, which made getting the onsie on rather difficult.

"I swear, Shi, if you move that tiny arm one more time…" Jade says, using the nickname she and Beck had coined for the baby. They had recently gotten into an argument over whether or not to use that particular spelling. Beck thought that people would think that "Shi" was pronounced like "she," and get the name wrong. Jade, though, argued that it would be stupid to spell it "Shy" when it's not how her full name is spelled. Somehow, they'd ended up agreeing on "Shi" and hoping that people weren't stupid enough to mispronounce it.

When Jade finally gets the baby's outfit on, she hands Shiloh off to Beck and begins getting herself ready. She makes her way into the bathroom and turns on the curling iron, which she hasn't used since she was pregnant.

"Aw, come on, Babe. You don't need to do that. Your hair looks great just how it is."

Jade, whose bedhead hasn't been this bad since the sleepless night in Yerba, turns to glare at him. "Oh," she says accusingly, "so you think that since I'm a mom now I can just settle for this? Beck, my hair looks _disgusting_. I haven't curled it since I looked like a whale and we're about to go back to Hollywood Arts for the first time and I don't want people to think that I've suddenly become okay with looking like… like _Tori_." Jade knows that Tori, in actuality, typically looks great, but she takes any chance she gets to take a jab at her.

Beck tries not to roll his eyes as he bounces Shiloh up and down. "Okay," he says instead. "I really don't think we have time for—"

"I don't care!" Jade retorts, beginning to separate her hair into pieces.

Beck decides not to fight her on this one. Although he's annoyed at her complete disregard for arriving in a timely manner, he also tries to see from her perspective. He knows how hard it will be for her to go back to Hollywood Arts today because people will do exactly what she doesn't want them to: see her differently. Jade adores her reputation—Beck knows that—and both of them are aware of the fact that many kids at their school are going to think of her as a multitude of different things… a slut, a softie, a freak… Beck tries to focus on the positive as he watches his gorgeous daughter in his arms. As she opens her little mouth wide for a big yawn, she stretches her arms around and looks up at him.

When Jade is finally finished curling her dark hair, which currently has turquoise-green streaks in it, she puts on her favorite shirt—the black one that reads "Bite Me"—and grabs the diaper bag before leaving the bedroom. Without asking, she scoops her daughter up out of Beck's arms and sets her gently on her chest. Although Jade won't ever admit it, she loves the feeling of the baby girl close to her heart, and she takes the chance to hold Shiloh whenever she wants to.

Just as the three are finally headed out of the door—with just five minutes to get to school (a ten minute ride)—Jade hears a gurgling noise and stops in her tracks. Beck turns around just in time to see Shiloh spit up all over herself, Jade's shirt, and part of her hair. He's nervous for his girlfriend's reaction, and her facial expression says it all. She doesn't speak, but he can tell she's furious and disgusted as she hands him the happy baby and storms back into the bedroom.

"Dammit," Beck grunts as he walks Shiloh over to her changing table in the living room. As quickly as he can, he unbuttons her onesie and tosses it into her miniature laundry bin. After wiping her down with a wet one and picking out a different outfit for her to wear, he dresses her and throws a burp rag over his shoulder before picking her up again.

"Jade?" he asks as he enters back into their bedroom.

She doesn't respond, but he finds her in the bathroom angrily rubbing spitup out of her hair with a washcloth. She has already changed her shirt into a plain black tee—one of the only ones that's clean—and seems more flustered than before. At this point, it's several minutes past nine and Beck doesn't even care anymore that they're late.

He stands silently, waiting for Jade to finish, and before long she's ready to go. "Are you oka—"

"I'm fine," she cuts in. "Let's just go."

At the sound of her words, the little family again makes their way out of the apartment and makes it all the way downstairs—this time without fail. Beck straps Shiloh into her car seat as fast as possible while Jade throws the diaper bag into the passenger seat and gets herself buckled. When they arrive at Hollywood Arts, it's twenty minutes past nine and they're actually glad to be late; this way, all of the students are already in class and won't crowd around the couple to see the baby.

When they walk into Lane's office, he's meditating on his hammock chair—but notices immediately when the couple walks into the room. Beck is leading the way, while Jade—who is holding the car seat—follows closely behind him. He holds her hand tightly as they make their way towards their friendly counselor, and doesn't let go even as they approach him.

"Beck, Jade!" he greets. "It's so good to see you back at Hollywood Arts!" Beck thinks he's about to offer them lotion when his eyes fall on the car seat that's facing away from him. "Is this the baby?"

"No," Jade says, and Beck knows it'll be sarcastic, "actually, I just carry around a car seat instead of a backpack now. All of the cool kids are doing it." Lane immediately looks embarrassed but quickly gets over it as excitement clearly takes over.

"May I… see her?"

Jade rolls her eyes and slowly turns the car seat to face him, revealing the beautiful baby girl that lays strapped into her seat. "Her name is Shiloh," Beck says to answer his next question. "Shiloh Jade Oliver."

"Wow," Lane says, nodding his head, "she's really cute."

Beck's "thanks" and Jade's "mhmm" come out simultaneously as they take a seat on the couch of his office. She continues to hold his hand in their waffle clasp even as the conversation begins, loving the feel of his soft skin against hers.

"So," Lane starts, looking back and forth between both of them, "let's talk. What have you guys been thinking about coming back to school—if anything yet?"

Jade avoids looking up at Lane, instead keeping her eyes locked on her wide-awake child.

"Well, we decided that next Monday, I'll come back… and we haven't exactly figured out anything for Jade yet," Beck answers. Jade feels her heart sink at the first part of his sentence. She doesn't want him to leave her all alone with the baby; if there's one thing they've learned about parenting, it's that it's a team effort.

"Jade," Lane says, "you don't seem too happy with this situation. How are you feeling?"

Jade rolls her eyes at the shrink-y comment and still doesn't look at him.

"Jade," Beck utters as he lovingly squeezes her hand tighter and lightly bumps his shoulder against hers. "What are you thinkin', Babe?"

Jade remains silent and distant as Beck grows increasingly worried. Is she mad? Is she scared? Is she embarrassed? As he ponders the questions, an idea—possibly a crazy one—pops into his head. Beck, never having been afraid to embarrass himself, decides to vocalize it, figuring he's got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

"Um, Lane," he starts, the concerned look still on his face, "do you think that it would be possible for… for us to bring Shiloh to school with us?"

"What?!" Jade sputters instantly. Lane simply looks confused.

Beck turns to face Jade. "Why not? I don't see—"

"Are you kidding? There's no way in hell I'm bringing my new, disease-less child into a school full of freaks and people who will want to touch her and hold her and…" As Jade continues rambling, Beck argues back with reasoning of why it's a perfect situation. Before long, Lane has to interrupt.

"Guys, guys! Let's just _talk_ about this… Although it _is_ a strange idea… I could see how it might work."

"It doesn't matter if it will work. I'm not doing it," Jade responds, and subsequently starts to stand up from the couch.

"Jade, come on, sit down," Beck pleads, tugging lightly on her arm.

After pausing for a moment, Jade sits back down.

"Just think about it, Babe," he begs. "We wouldn't have to miss school, and we could finish out our senior year. We have all but two of our classes together, so we could trade off taking her to them. It wouldn't be hard with both of us there to watch her, just like we do at home."

"What about when she cries, Beck? What about when she needs her diaper changed, or when she's hungry?"

Beck answers as if he's been thinking about the scenarios for a long time. "Then one of us will take her out of the classroom and take care of it. We can make bottles at home so that we can feed her in class; it won't be so bad, and it'll definitely be better than being apart from each other all day—every day—and you not getting to go to school."

Lane nods his head and speaks before Jade can argue back. "Yes," he says plainly. "Yes, I think it's a good idea."

"Really?" Beck asks as his face lightens up.

"Mmhmm. This school is full of out-of-the-ordinary stuff. We have spontaneous performances, laid-back teachers, a sing-song bell, and tons of talented kids… we're anything but normal. I think that, if having Shiloh here at school with you allows you to stay in school and return to your lives here at Hollywood Arts, it's a good idea. I'm saying yes. When Beck resumes school next Monday, Jade, you and Shiloh are free to join him."

Jade is in disbelief at how quickly Beck's idea turned into a reality, but in the back of her mind she can't help but think that it just might work. She wanted desperately to continue singing and acting regularly at school and also had no intentions to leave Shiloh with some nanny or daycare, so this might just be her happy medium.

After almost two minutes of speechless thinking and staring at her daughter, Jade makes her decision.

"No."


	10. Flying a Kite

Chapter Ten

"Hi, Bug-a-Boo," Jade whispers. "You're just so happy today, aren't you?"

A quick glance at the clock tells her that it's seven o'clock, prompting her to notice how fast the time had gone by since she'd woken up with Shiloh just over an hour ago. Jade sits comfortably on the couch of their apartment while Beck snoozes still in bed. Although her complaints about waking up so early every day have inclined him to offer to get up instead, she consistently denies the proposition. She'll never admit it, but Jade doesn't mind getting up with Shiloh—in fact, she actually likes it. Early in the morning is the only one-on-one time that she spends with her daughter, giving her an opportunity to get most of her "mommy emotions" out.

On these early mornings, when it's just the two of them, Jade regularly uses cheesy nicknames for her "little bug," like "ShilohBug", "Bug-a-Boo", and "LoveBug." When they first started coming out of her mouth, she felt absolutely ridiculous—but, at the same time, so wonderful. Now, although she would never use the baby lingo or voice in front of _anyone_, she lets them flow from her lips like regular words when in private.

After nursing Shiloh, Jade sets the infant on her closed thighs so that she can stare at and talk to her. When she can't stand her daughter's cuteness anymore, she snuggles her face close to the baby and kisses all over her little cheeks. "Momma loves you," she whispers before kissing Shiloh again. "I love my little bug so much." Even though Shiloh doesn't smile or make many facial expressions yet, she responds to Jade with lots of blinking and kicking.

Jade stays on the couch with her and watches her for another few minutes, still in awe of how beautiful she is. In that moment, she realizes how badly she wants to make it. The last thing Jade wants is to be another statistic… another teenage mother who drops out of high school and plummets. She wants _far_ more than that. She wants to be a singer and an actress… someone who her daughter will be proud of. And in that moment, it hits her.

Just two hours after Beck wakes up, the couple decides to go for a walk through a nearby park. It's a cloudy, windy day—close to their favorite weather, rainy—and they both agree that it'd be good to get out of the house for a little while. It'll be just four days until Beck goes back to Hollywood Arts, making this one of his last days of freedom with his girlfriend and daughter.

After buckling Shiloh into her car seat, which is set into the stroller, and grabbing the diaper bag, Beck and Jade head out for their walk. Beck brings along a kite for them to fly, something they had always used to love doing together, and sets it in the bottom of the stroller to ensure they don't lose it.

"So," Jade says, starting the conversation as she watches Beck push the stroller, "I… I change my mind."

Beck looks up at her, his eyebrows furrowing in curiosity for what she's talking about.

"I want to… go back to Hollywood Arts. …And I want to bring the baby with me."

"Really?" Beck asks, a light smile appearing on his face. He kisses her cheek and pulls back to speak. "Thank you."

"_Thank_ me? For what?" Jade asks in a weirded-out tone.

"I didn't want to leave you and Shiloh. The more I thought about it, the worse it became. You two are my family, and I don't want to go eight hours a day—more, if you count homework—without you."

Jade is silent for a few moments as she muses over Beck's words. She hasn't ever even thought about the difficulty it would bring him; she's always just assumed that he felt lucky that he could go back to school and work on making his dreams come true. To hear him talk about how upset he'd be to leave her and the baby hit her like a ton of bricks; it's little reminders of his love like this one that make her fall even crazier in love with him than she'd ever confess.

"Yeah, well I guess it just means we'll _all_ be headed back to Hollywood Arts on Monday… It's so weird to think that I'll be carrying around a backpack _and_ a car seat… and a diaper bag." Jade rolls her eyes just at the thought. "Ugh," she groans.

"Hey," Beck counters, "it'll be fun. It'll be an adventure." He smiles at her and reaches down to grab the kite from under the stroller. "Wanna fly it?" he asks in an almost-childish voice.

"Yeah, okay," she says, replacing his hands on the stroller. They pull over to a grassy area with no trees or people, perfect for kite-flying, and Beck rolls out the blanket they brought to sit on. Before long, Beck has the string unraveled and he's slowly releasing the kite into the sky while Jade gets Shiloh out of her seat. She lays the baby, who's wrapped up in her own little blanket, on the bigger one and watches as the wind picks up the kite.

Beck sits down next to Jade and gives her the reins so that she can fly it, keeping his eyes focused on his stunning girlfriend. She's so effortlessly beautiful… so naturally perfect, and he can tell that he's never been more in love with her. "Hey," he suggests, "why don't you pull the kite down? I brought my camera and I wanna take some pictures of Shiloh."

Jade shrugs her shoulders in compliance and begins slowly bringing the kite back towards her. When she finally gets her hands on the body of it, she's about to wrap the string around it when she notices the writing on the inside of the kite. Beck's eyes follow Jade's as she inevitably sees his handwritten words.

_Marry Me_

Jade can't breathe as she re-reads the lines at least twenty times before looking up at Beck. His palm is out, facing up, and in the center of it sits a silver band with a beautiful, simple diamond on it.

"I love you, Jade West," he starts, his voice quivering at the beauty of what's to come. He watches as her eyes well up with involuntary tears, and then he redirects his own to stare at the child that lies in front of them. "I love you, and I love our beautiful daughter, and I want things to be like this for the rest of my life."

With the exception of a sniffle, Jade is silent. She can't believe how good her life has suddenly become; just nine months ago she'd thought it was over, and now here she is, happier than she'd been in eighteen years.

"Jade…" Beck continues, "marry me?"

She's speechless, and her only movement comes from her left hand, which comes up to level with his. Before her brain even realizes she's doing it, Jade nods her head several times as Beck begins to slide the ring onto her finger.

Finally, it's time for the part they both love the most: their kiss. They can't keep away from each other as their lips crash together in a furiously romantic rage. Jade's hands cup his cheeks as he lets his arms cradle hers, and they kiss for about half a minute before painfully pulling away from each other.

"I love you," she breathes, kissing him again. She can't smile because her lips are still numb from his taste, and she continues kissing him until they fall over onto each other. Jade gently scoops Shiloh up to nestle between her arm and her chest, while she herself lies her head on Beck's chest.

As Beck stares into the sky, he can't imagine anything better. He can feel Jade's heart beating a million miles a minute, and remembers the promise he made to himself when he found out about her pregnancy. He'd promised to always love her and take care of her, and right now, he doesn't want to even think about doing anything else but that for the rest of his life.


	11. Questions, Stares, & Judgment

**Author's Note**: So, I know that the whole concept of them bringing Shiloh to school is a little far-fetched, but it's just a story and it works out for Beck and Jade! I hope you are all still enjoying the story, and please continue to leave reviews on here or through Twitter! XOXO

Chapter Eleven

"What do you think: purple or gray?"

Beck turns from where he's standing in the bathroom to see Jade holding up two of Shiloh's outfits. In one hand, she has a lavender onesie, and in the other, a gray romper—both which have a matching headpiece (like all of her other clothes).

"Uh…" Beck's curious tone frustrates an already-nervous Jade.

"This is important, okay?" She snaps back. "It's our first day back and I want her to wear the cutest clothes she has."

Beck smiles as he walks towards her. "You totally care, don't you?"

"No."

He nudges her playfully and kisses her cheek. "I don't care," she argues, and pauses for a few moments before speaking again. "She's wearing the romper." With that, Jade makes her way over to the bed, where Shiloh is laying between two pillows so that she can't go anywhere. As Beck walks back to the bathroom to finish getting ready, Jade changes the baby's diaper and starts to put her outfit on. The romper, dark gray with little ruffles and a coordinated headband, looks precious on Shiloh, and Jade is satisfied enough to start getting herself dressed.

Beck and Jade switch places as he starts to feed Shiloh her morning bottle and she heads for their closet. When she's finally dressed, they pack the diaper bag together: diapers, wet ones, prepared bottles, baby toys, burp rags, an extra onsie, and a blanket. They decide to bring the car seat to carry Shiloh around in so that they won't have to hold her all the time, and head out the door to leave with fifteen minutes to get to school.

When they park in Beck's usual spot, Jade hesitates to get out of the car.

"Babe? You okay?" Beck reaches over to take her left hand in his and kiss it. Their eyes land on the sparkler on her finger, and he can't help but smile at her. "You know what this means?" He asks her, kissing her hand again. "It means we're in this together. You're not just my girlfriend anymore, Jade. You're my _fiancé_." He smiles at Jade before kissing her lips. "It's gonna be great."

Jade wishes that she could stay in the car all day and just kiss him, but she knows that the decision they've made is what's best for all three of them. So, after one more kiss, the two get out of the car and continue mentally preparing themselves for what the day will hold: questions, judgment, more questions…

Beck knows that Jade is more nervous than he his, so he takes it upon himself to carry the car seat while she swings the diaper bag over her shoulder. In her best attempt to minimize the attention that the baby will draw, Jade grabs a blanket from the back seat of the car and pulls it over the car seat so that Shiloh is shaded from everyone and everything. When the car is locked up, he takes her hand and holds it tightly as the two begin to walk towards the entry doors of Hollywood Arts.

As they make their way towards their lockers, people everywhere can't help but watch them. They're used to the stares, as girls constantly gawk over Beck and his beautiful girlfriend, but they both know that these looks are for something completely different.

"Just ignore it," he whispers to Jade as they approach their friends.

"Beck! Jade!" Cat exclaims, throwing her arms around her best friend. It only takes a second for all of them to notice what Beck is carrying, and no one has to ask who's keeping Shiloh.

"So—lemme clear this up before things get messy," Beck says, a small smile appearing on his face. "Jade and I cleared it with Lane to… well, to bring Shiloh to school with us." Mouths dropped at his words, so he quickly continued in order to avoid making Jade even more nervous. "As you guys know, Jade and I have practically all of our classes together, and we didn't want to leave Shiloh with anyone while we went back to school, so we figured that—"

"Wait." Tori's voice draws everyone's attention to her facial expression, where they see where her eyes are focused and her finger is slowly rising to point towards.

Jade looks down and remembers what they're all now staring at. "Yeah," she says, looking back up at all of them. "We're engaged. …We're engaged, and we have a baby, and we're bringing her to school. And that's how it's gonna be, so we can all move on and get to Calculus, okay?"

The shocked looks on everyone's faces eventually turn into smiles as they take turns hugging Beck. Jade plans on only letting Cat give her a small squeeze, but doesn't reject Tori's friendly and surprisingly not-obnoxious open arms. She gives the girl a quick hug before redirecting everyone in the direction of their Calculus class, but the conversation still continues even as they walk.

"So, can we see her?" Andre asks through a grin.

"No," Jade answers plainly.

"Aw, come on, Jade. I haven't seen the kid since we all visited you guys in the hospital!"

When everyone agrees and starts asking multiple times, Jade groans and rolls her eyes before allowing Beck to pull back the blanket. Inside the car seat lies the adorable sleeping baby, sucking on her pacifier and drawing "aww's" from the enthralled teenagers. After everyone gets a good enough look, he replaces the blanket and they continue walking to their class.

When they arrive at their first period, the teacher tries not to stare at the couple like all of the students are; Lane had sent out an email about a week ago to the entire Hollywood Arts staff to explain the special circumstances and encourage them to be supportive. Despite the looks and whispers, Beck and Jade take their usual seats and set the car seat down right between them.

When Jade can't handle the not-so-silent murmuring anymore, she whips around to the girls behind her. "Yes, there's a car seat on the floor right in front of you! Get over it and shut the hell up already," she says angrily before turning back around.

"It's okay, Babe," Beck whispers, putting his hand lovingly on the top of her desk to remind her that he's right by her side to protect her.

She exhales, obviously irritated, and tries to focus on the lecture that's beginning. Luckily, Shiloh sleeps through the entire class—much to Beck and Jade's relief—but the bell signaling the end of the period wakes her up. As Beck does his best to shush her by holding the pacifier in her mouth and bouncing the car seat a little, the girls behind the couple turn to face Jade.

"Um," one of them starts, "about earlier—"

"What?" Jade cuts in, her familiarly frustrated voice coming out.

"We just wanted to ask if we could see the baby. We heard—"

"No," Jade answers. "Wait, what? You _heard_ something?"

"Well, we just heard Cat telling people about how cute she is, and we just wanted to—"

"No."

"Jade," Beck's soft voice comes through as he uses his free hand to rub her shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay; they just wanna see her." He looks up at the girls and gives them a smile. "She _is_ really cute. She looks just like Jade." Beck turns his head to look back at Jade, who mutters an approval, and pulls the blanket back up.

The girls fawn over the now-awake baby girl for at least a minute, pointing out all of her gorgeous features like her hair, her eyes, and especially her outfit. After thanking the couple for allowing them to take a peek, they head off and Beck takes Jade's hand again to walk to their next class. They hear the girls whispering something about seeing a ring and how lucky Jade is to be engaged to Beck—not the first or last of the day's murmuring.

By the time they're in fourth period, they've had to take Shiloh out of class three times—once for crying and twice for a dirty diaper. The couple arrives to Sikowitz's class—their mutual favorite—hoping that he'll let them have a free day, as he does some Mondays due to "student lag." Shiloh is wide-awake and needs to be fed soon, and Beck and Jade are both already tired and stressed out.

When they walk into the room, Sikowitz is the first to greet them. "I've heard all day about this!" he says through a grin. "Let me see this golden child!"

Jade rolls her eyes as Beck removes the blanket from the car seat and hands it to Jade to put in the diaper bag, as they had decided it was safe to leave Shiloh exposed at least through this class and lunch. Sikowitz gasps at the sight of their daughter and immediately begins to make funny faces at her, but doesn't get to for very long before Jade moves herself between him and the car seat. As she unbuckles the baby and picks her up to hold her, Beck sets the car seat on the floor and the couple takes their seats.

By the time the bell rings to start class, everyone is looking on-and-off at Beck, Jade, and Shiloh. Since it's the first time that anyone besides their good friends has seen the baby girl outside of her car seat, the situation naturally attracts more attention.

"Alright, class!" Sikowitz begins, standing at the front of the room. "As you've obviously all noticed, we have a new member of fourth period today!" Beck shakes his head as Jade furrows her eyebrows at the comment. "Congratulations to Beck and Jade on the birth of their tiny human, Shiloh! She'll be with us for the rest of the year, so get used to her presence! Oh—and I hope you enjoyed my gift!"

Again in unison, Jade claims that they didn't while Beck thanks him for it. She pulls a bottle out of the diaper bag and begins feeding it to Shiloh as Sikowitz continues talking. "Today we'll have a free day, because… well, because I just don't feel like teaching today. I'm going to the teacher's lounge to… work. I'll be back in a bit." With that, he leaves the happy students in the classroom free to do whatever they wish. As soon as he's gone, the questions begin flying towards Beck and Jade.

"So, how was the birth?"

"Does she cry a lot?"

"How did you come up with her name?"

"When did you guys get engaged?"

"Are you getting married soon?"

"Will you finish senior year?"

"Guys, guys," Beck interrupts, silencing the chatter. "We really appreciate your concern—"

"No we don't."

"…And we're happy that the whole situation worked out for us, but all of the questions are a little overwhelming. To sum things up, Jade and I got engaged a few days ago. We don't know when we're getting married, but we know we want to graduate before we do. Shiloh is the best, cutest baby we could have hoped for. We love her and things are great and we'd really love for you guys to just treat us just like you always have, alright?"

Beck's words seem to calm things down a lot, but still don't keep everyone from complimenting their beautiful daughter or congratulating them on the engagement. The chit-chat doesn't actually settle down until halfway through the period, when Jade finishes feeding the baby. "See?" Beck points out, putting his arm around her, "I told you it'd be great."


	12. Unexpected

Chapter Twelve

"Okay, babe, here's the plan…"

Beck does his best to pay attention to his girlfriend as she prepares to explain to him how the day will work. Today is a huge day for the little family, but he's been sick with strep throat for three days now, leaving Jade to care for Shiloh on her own. The last thing the couple wants is for the baby to get sick, so Beck hasn't so much as changed a diaper in over seventy hours.

"I'm leaving to take Shi to the doctor, and then we're going to school. Andre will bring you lunch, since we wanna keep the baby as away from you as possible, and I'll stop at the drugstore on my way home from school to pick up your antibiotic."

Beck gives her a faint smile and, wishing so badly that he could kiss her, whispers something hoarsely instead. "How do you do it?"

"What?" Jade asks, obviously not picking up his hint at how wonderful she's been the past few days.

"For three nights and days, you've taken care of Shiloh by yourself. You've gotten, like, no sleep, and you're still doing it all. You're amazing."

Jade, still emotionless, takes a sip of her coffee before swinging Shiloh's diaper bag over her shoulder. "This is your karma for getting me pregnant. I'll see you around four." She heads toward the door and, just before stepping out, blows him a kiss. She can't be late for the doctor's appointment because she scheduled it specifically early in the morning; she hates having to get up even earlier, but she can't afford to have it interfere with school.

Upon arriving at the pediatrician's office, Jade unbuckles Shiloh from her car seat and makes her way inside. After checking in, she sits down in the waiting room and holds the quiet but squirmish baby in her arms. She's hasn't been this tired since Shi's birth, and she can feel her eyes closing as she waits for her daughter's name to be called.

As she looks around the room, she sees four other women—three of which are staring at her. "_Awesome_," she thinks to herself, "_all of these bitches think I'm a single, teenage, and probably horrible mom. Ugh, if only Beck were here with me_…" Jade gives them dirty looks and repositions her left hand to make her ring clearly visible from all angles. When it's apparent to the pathetically intrigued women that she's in what most would consider to be (judging by the ring) a committed relationship, they casually look away.

Thankfully, Shiloh's name is called within the minute, so Jade gets up and follows the nurse behind the doors. "So, congratulations; today is a big day for you!"

"Yep," Jade replies cooly.

"Dr. Teller will be with you in just a few moments," the nurse says upon arriving at the room.

Jade doesn't reply and instead takes a seat to wait for her doctor, who doesn't take long.

"Wow," Dr. Teller greets when entering the room. "I feel like I just saw you yesterday! How can it be possible that a whole month has gone by since you had this little one?" She asks in a friendly tone, gripping one of Shiloh's little feet gently as she speaks. As she moves closer towards her, she gets a better look at the baby and then looks back up at her mother. "Wow, Jade, she's really somethin'."

"Thanks," she replies. "So, what are we gonna do today?"

"Well, we're gonna talk a little bit about how things are going at home, and then—"

"Wait, what do you mean _talk about how things are going_? Is that because I'm only eighteen, because I think it's pretty messed up to just—"

"No, Jade," she answers kindly. "It's not. We like to talk to all new parents about how life with the baby is at home to make sure that we catch any kind of abnormal behavior that might cause problems later. You look great, though, so I assume you and Beck are well?"

"Yes," Jade replies. "He's actually sick right now, so we've been keeping Shiloh away from him. He was sad he couldn't come to her one-month appointment, but he's been there for everything else. Shiloh is fine, too. She sleeps through the night with just one and sometimes two wake-ups now. I'm still nursing her and everything so… Yeah, it's all fine."

"Great! I'm so happy to hear that," Dr. Teller says, making little notes on the paper attached to her clipboard. "Okay, well if you wouldn't mind taking her clothes off real quick, we're gonna check her vitals and make sure that she's up to par on her weight, height, and all of that fun stuff."

Jade quickly complies and soon hands her the baby, who starts to cry as soon as she leaves her mother's arms. "Aw," Dr. Teller compliments, "that's sweet. She's already so attached to you. You must be a wonderful mother."

Jade is so shocked to hear the words come out of Dr. Teller's mouth that she doesn't know how to respond. Does she mean that? Is she really a _wonderful_ mother? All she can do is hope.

After checking and documenting Shiloh's health and growth, the doctor tells Jade how nice it was to see her and that she'll see her in another month. Relived that the appointment is over and that she can get to school, Jade dresses her daughter in the special outfit she'd picked out and walks back out to the car.

Jade wishes that she was in a better mood, but the fact that she's gotten about twelve hours of sleep in the past three nights doesn't help her. She arrives at Hollywood Arts ten minutes after first period starts and stumbles her way through the door of the classroom, partially getting stuck in the doorframe because of all she's carrying. She forces her own bag and the diaper bag through, careful not to shake the car seat she's holding, and attracts the attention of the entire class.

Lucky for her, the teacher doesn't say anything, but he waits for her to take her seat in the back before continuing with the lecture. The classroom is silent except for the hushed murmuring that Jade can so obviously hear, which infuriates her. Just as the professor silences the class and opens his mouth to teach again, Jade hears a whimpering from the car seat on the floor next to her.

It's barely audible at first, but it doesn't take long for Shiloh's soft noises to get louder. Once again, every head turns back to face Jade, whose face is unknowingly becoming red. When she bends down to see what the matter is with Shiloh, the baby answers her by spitting up all over herself, Jade's neck, and her shirt.

As the entire class watches the incident, more sounds come out indicating disgust and pity. At this point, Jade is fuming and she knows she has to get herself out of the classroom before she explodes. She quickly grabs both bags and the car seat and exits the classroom without a word.

When she gets to the bathroom, it's empty. Jade sets the car seat down carefully and grabs a few paper towels to wipe the spit-up off of her chest. It comes off of her skin easily, but her black shirt is still a little tainted with the smell and vision of it. She forgets about it for the time being and pulls a portable changing cushion out of the diaper bag. After setting it on the counter, she carefully takes Shiloh out of her car seat and lies the baby down to assess the situation.

"Of course you spit up all over your best outfit," Jade tells her as she uses the burp rag to clean her daughter up. She knows that it will come out in the washer, but Shiloh didn't even make it to second period for anyone to see the cute romper. Jade exasperatedly pulls a little onsie out of the diaper bag and changes the baby before wrapping up the dirty romper in paper towels and stuffing it inside.

Just as Jade begins dressing her daughter, she hears the door open and turns her head to see who it is. Her heavy heart sinks when she sees it's two of the people she hates most. These girls, also seniors, had hit on Beck every day since the first day of freshman year. Despite Jade's threats, they constantly spread rumors about her and test her patience. Every time something new comes up, Beck has to remind his jealous and easily angered girlfriend that they don't and shouldn't care about what people say or think.

"Well, well," the platinum blonde one says. "Look who it is."

"Little Miss Oliver and her…accident," the other adds. "Having fun playing house with Beck?"

Jade steams with anger, but she can't leave the bathroom counter because the cushion holding Shiloh is sitting right in front her. Although it probably won't fall off of the counter, Jade's not going to take the chance of Shiloh rolling or squirming out of it. "Shut the hell up," she counters instead.

"You know the only reason he's still with you is because of _that_," the first one says, nodding her head in a gesture towards Shiloh. As she speaks, the baby starts to cry and Jade is torn between comforting her child and ripping these girls in two. In her fit of rage, she leaves the counter and beelines the short distance to the blonde.

Jade pushes her up against the wall of the bathroom and the girl looks immediately startled. "Don't you _dare_ talk about my daughter like that. You listen to me: if you ever so much as _think_ about _my_ child, you'll be sorry. You're an ignorant bitch and I don't give a damn about what you think, but when it's about my kid, I've got a problem." Just as Jade whips back around to return to the screaming baby, the other girl slaps her across the face.

Jade, whose rage is far more powerful than the pain she can feel, shoves the girl so hard that she falls over and into one of the stalls. She knows she's still outnumbered, though, and Shiloh continues to wail as the blonde jumps onto Jade's back and starts pulling her hair. She does her best to shake her off, and finally succeeds by kicking her leg back and forcing the girl off and back on her feet.

When they face each other again, it's just a screaming and hitting match as Jade tries to get rid of her to get back to Shiloh. Before long, the bathroom door opens again and Jade actually hopes it's an administrator who will suspend her. The universe is funny, though, and into the chaos walks Tori, who could apparently hear the noise from the hallway.

"What the hell is going on in he—" Tori starts, and then sees that one of the girls in the three-person fight is Jade. "Oh my god!" Tori throws herself in the middle and starts helping Jade push the girls away from them.

"Tori," Jade begs, "just get Shiloh!"

Through all of the yelling and fighting, Tori had yet to see or hear the sobbing and wiggling baby lying on the counter. "Oh my god," she says again, and pushes her way out to get to Shiloh. As she picks up the baby and tries to soothe her, she watches Jade finally thrust the girls off of her. The two girls, who look disgustingly awful, pick up their bags and hastily exit the bathroom.

Jade's head is throbbing as she walks over to Tori and takes her daughter. With the baby in her arms, she turns around so that she's not facing Tori and bounces up and down softly. "I'm so sorry," she whispers to calm Shiloh. "Momma's so sorry. Shhhh."

When the baby settles down, Jade turns around to see Tori again. She's speechless, so Tori speaks instead. "What… happened? Are you okay?"

Normally Jade would be okay. She would brush the incident off as nothing and even mock Tori for asking her if she was okay. Today, though, Jade is far from okay. "They… they came in and were saying things about Shiloh, and it's just not fair. I couldn't let them say those things and get away with it."

Tori nods her head in understanding. "Well, you definitely didn't let them get away with it." She pauses before speaking again, and gives Jade a small smile. "I'm really proud of you, Jade. I know that might not mean much to you, but I really admire what you do. You're… a really good mom."

Jade takes a deep breath. "Thank you," she mutters. "Look, I don't know how this keeps happening, but you've helped me out quite a bit lately. I just… want to let you know that… I appreciate it."

Tori smiles. "It's no problem, really. You're my friend, and I'll always help out a friend in need."

Jade nods her head and, once Shiloh is completely pacified, looks up at Tori. "Would you mind… holding her? Just while I brush out all of the knots in my hair and stuff…"

"I'd love to," Tori accepts, happily taking the baby into her arms. "Hey," she notes as the rocks Shiloh back and forth, "she's not crying! That's a good sign."

Normally, Jade would be mad at the fact that her daughter is happy in Tori's arms. Today, however, she's so grateful for it. For the entire ten minutes it takes for Jade to fix her hair and pack the diaper bag back up, Shiloh remains content with Tori.

"So," Tori says as she hands the baby back to Jade, "first period is almost over. We can walk to second together?"

Jade hesitates for a second as she buckles Shiloh back into her car seat. "Yeah," Jade agrees. "Okay."

When the day is over, Jade is proud that she's survived the stress. She knows that, after a quick stop by the drugstore to pick up Beck's antibiotic, she'll be back home. Upon entering the convenience store, she grabs a cart in case she sees anything else she needs and sets the car seat in the designated spot. As she roams through the store to reach the pharmacy, someone coming out of an aisle accidentally bumps their cart into hers.

"Watch where you're going," Jade snaps at the anonymous person before walking forward to see who the idiot is. When her eyes meet with the person's on the other side of the cart, Jade's stomach does a backflip.

"Jade," he says, completely taken aback. "Oh my god."


	13. Four Years

**Author's Note**: Hi everyone! Thanks again for all of the feedback. Sorry that this chapter took a little longer; I just started classes so I've been really busy. If you're not already following me on Twitter, make sure to do so at **TheOtherSideFF** for spoilers, Q/A's, and other fun. ALSO: if you love Victorious and reading awesome tweets from an awesome girl, follow **Lovin_LizEgan** on Twitter. For every person that follows her because they read it on here, I'll answer a spoiler question about future chapters (or anything else)! XOXO

Chapter Thirteen

"Um… Walter…"

The words come out of Jade's mouth in a shockingly startled voice. She follows his eyes as they immediately land on the car seat that sits in her cart. He looks flustered at the sight of it because he can't see the other side where the baby lies. He's embarrassed at the fact that he doesn't know anything about the child-it's sex, it's age, it's looks, it's name—and for a moment it appears that he can't take his eyes off of the car seat.

"Well, I'm gonna go," Jade says, quickly turning Walter's eyes back up at her. "I need to get home—"

"Wait," he says, reaching his hand out to gently touch her wrist. Jade instinctively pulls her arm away as she furrows her eyebrows. "Please," he begs. "Can I... see..." he pauses, unable to finish with "him" or "her."

Jade scoffs as she shakes her head at him. "You haven't called once. No emails, no texts, nothing. We haven't exchanged a word since you told me to get the hell out of your house for refusing to get an abortion... And now you run into me-literally-at a drugstore and want to ask me about my life?" When he doesn't answer, she continues. "You don't even know that I have a daughter. It's a girl, in case you were wondering. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get home to Beck." Jade pushes her way past the man she used to call her father, making sure that her body shields him from being able to see her daughter.

"Jade!" He calls after her, walking briskly to catch up. "Please. Please wait. I know I haven't been the best father—"

"The _best_ father? You haven't been a father at all."

"I know. And I'm sorry. Could I please just..." He pauses, exhaling in a sigh of defeat. "I would love to see my granddaughter."

Jade ponders the request for a bit and, when she figures that him seeing Shiloh will probably make him feel worse about not being in her life, she agrees. She slowly moves her body to reveal the tiny little girl laying in her car seat. Shiloh is sucking on her pacifier happily and even kicks her legs a little bit.

"Wow," Walter remarks. "Jade... she looks just like you. She's beautiful. What's her name?"

"Shiloh," she answers as she looks back at her daughter. "Shiloh Jade Oliver."

At the sound of the child's last name, Walter perks up a bit. "So, Beck... you're still with him? You two are... living together?"

Jade keeps her face expressionless. "We have an apartment where we live with the baby." Then, feeling the urge to really impress him, she furthers. "We're engaged."

He raises his eyebrows as his pupils find her left hand to see the diamond ring on her finger. "Wow," he says again. "A lot has happened since—"

"Since you ditched. ...Yeah, I know. I've got to get going, so—"

"Wait," he pleads once more. "Have dinner with me. Shelby and I would love to visit with you and Beck… you could bring the baby…" He trails off, hoping she'll accept the offer.

"No."

"Jade, please?"

"My answer is no. It's not going to change. I have to go." With that, Jade turns around for the final time and walks into the pharmacy section, leaving her father behind.

When she finally arrives home after what's seemed like the longest day she's ever had, she pushes her way into the door and drops everything on the floor. She's carrying Shiloh in her arms and sets the baby in her rocker before going back to her backpack to grab the antibiotic. "Beck," she calls as she begins walking towards their bedroom, "Babe, I'm home."

"Oh, hey," Beck says in a weak—but improved—voice as he begins to sit up in their bed. "I would kiss you, but—"

"I know," Jade finishes, handing him the bottle of pills and flopping herself on the bed.

"How was your day?"

Jade looks at him with the worst possible expression. "It was wonderful," she mocks. "Let me just walk you through my day. I was judged by every person who saw me at the hospital this morning, because I had to go alone. I know it wasn't your fault, but it still sucked to have everyone look at me like a typical irresponsible teenage mother. I swear, if I hadn't been in a waiting room full of kids, I would've just told them all to fuck off. Shiloh spit up all over me at the beginning of first period, which I was late to, by the way. When I get to the bathroom, Whore One and Two walk in." Beck knows who she's talking about just from hearing their nicknames, which Jade had given to them during freshman year. "They start talking shit about the baby, of course I had to defend her—"

"Oh, God."

Jade ignores Beck's interruption and continues. "So I ended up having to take these girls myself, and then Tori walks in, of course, which only makes things worse. Then, when I got to the drugstore to pick up your medicine, this guy rams his cart into mine. And guess—just _guess_—who it was."

Jade doesn't let him answer before she continues. "Walter."

Beck's eyebrows elevate at the sound of Jade's run in with her father.

"Yeah," she confirms. "And he even had the nerve to invite us over for dinner! Can you believe that?"

"What did you say?"

"No, obviously! What would you have expected me to do?"

"Well, he's your dad… I thought maybe you might wanna give him another chance?"

"Beck! He didn't even know Shiloh was a _girl_. He had no idea. Know why? Because ten months ago he told me that he didn't want her to _exist_."

"I know, but—"

"No, no. There are no buts. He's a selfish asshole and I don't want him anywhere near Shiloh or you or me. He doesn't deserve it."

"Okay, before you interrupt me again, just let me talk. Promise you will?"

Jade rolls her eyes. "Fine."

"He's your dad. I know it doesn't feel like he is and I know he's been a jerk, but he's still the guy who raised you. We all make mistakes—and he's made a lot—but I think if he's really going to make the effort to work his way back into your life, it might worth giving him another chance."

"But why?" Jade retorts. "What has he done in the past ten years that's made him worthy of that? Why does he deserve it?"

"Maybe he doesn't," Beck answers. "But he's still your dad. Come on, Babe. It's just dinner. Let's do it."

"No," Jade refuses. "I hate him, I hate his new wife, and I _hate_ that yappy little dog. I don't want to go."

"And you don't want to rub it in just a little that we made it on our own—without them? I mean, Jade, look at us," Beck says, taking her hand in his. "We have an apartment all to ourselves. It's not big, but it's _ours_. We've been together for four years, and we're getting married. We have the cutest baby on the planet and a really bright future together. How much did your dad help with any of that? Zero. So show him. Show him that you made it… that we made it."

As her fiancé speaks, Jade can't help but wonder how he got so good at motivating her. Somehow, over the years—and without her ever really noticing—he had learned exactly how to talk to her. He knows her better than she knows herself, and he obviously knows just the right words to say.

After a long pause, Jade falls back on the bed in a sign of defeat. "Fine," she grunts. "I'll text him that we'll go."

/ / /

Just a few minutes after seven o'clock, Beck parks the car in front of Jade's father's home. Walter and Shelby, his wife of two years, had recently moved into a large house that certainly looked impressive from the outside. The nicely dressed couple decides to take the car seat in so that they don't have to hold Shiloh the whole time, and it only takes a few minutes for them to get to the front door. As Beck rings the doorbell, he looks at Jade and whispers, "Be nice." When she makes a face, he leans over to kiss her before turning back to face the door.

When the door swings open, Shelby is standing inside and is grinning from ear to ear. "Jade! Oh, honey," she greets, wrapping her arms around Jade, who doesn't return the hug, "it's so good to see you again! It's just been too long! And you," she says, turning to face Beck, "you must be Beck. I've heard so much about you! Come in, come in!"

As she turns around to walk inside, Jade glares at Beck for forcing her to attend what's sure to be an awful dinner and grips the car seat tightly.

"Walter," Shelby calls, "they're here!" After Beck closes the door, Shelby turns back around to face them and her eyes automatically fall on the car seat. She gasps slowly and bends down to get a better look at the baby. "This must be Shiloh!" Her hand covers her mouth as she looks lovingly at the baby. While she's distracted, Jade makes a silent vomiting motion that only Beck sees. "She's so cute! Oh, Jade," Shelby says as she stands back up, "she's absolutely precious."

When Jade smiles sarcastically, Beck is quick to make a save. "Thank you," he says sympathetically. "She's a great baby."

Shelby makes a seemingly fake compassionate face and then perks up again. "Well, dinner's almost ready, so let's go meet Walter in the dining room! I hope you like steak," she says as she leads them back into the meal room. "I just know it's going to be delicious."

When they arrive in the dining room, the maid is setting the table and Walter is waiting to greet them. "Jade," he says as he hugs his daughter, "I'm so glad you could make it. And you too, Beck," he continues, offering his hand out to shake. "We're really happy to have you over. I assume you brought my beautiful granddaughter?"

It irks Jade that he calls Shiloh his granddaughter, especially since she's already in a bad mood. "Well, I'm not just carrying around the car seat for fun," she answers, raising her arm up a bit so that he can see what she's holding.

Walter does his best to brush her comment off and simply smiles. "Aha, there she is! Well, Maria set out a chair for her, so I'm sure the car seat can be set there without an issue."

"Yes," Beck agrees. "Thank you, Mr. West. Jade and I really appreciate you guys having us for dinner."

"You're very kind, Beck," he replies. "Now," he says, turning to face the table and gesturing towards it, "shall we?"

Once they're all seated and the first course, a salad, is quickly served, Shelby starts the conversation. "So, Walter told me that the two of you are getting married! How exciting!"

Jade, who hasn't uttered anything but sarcastic comments, keeps her silent streak, leaving Beck to answer. "Thank you," he says. "We're looking forward to it."

"So," Shelby continues, "is it just, like, because of the baby? I see kids do that all the time, you know… get married just because they have a baby tog—"

"No," Beck says firmly, maintaining his composure. Jade is angrily glaring at Shelby and even Walter puts down his fork to touch his wife's arm in a discreet warning. "Jade and I are positive that we want to be with each other for the rest of our lives. We'd talked about having kids someday in the past, so Shiloh just came a little early. We're perfect together; I mean, we've been together for four years, so…" Beck smiles and then, even though he knows the answer, asks his question under a façade of curiosity. "How long have the two of you been together?"

Shelby and Walter both try to cover their startled looks; the teenagers that she had just basically criticized for getting married too early have been a couple for longer than the adults.

"Um, two years," Shelby answers with a fake smile on her face.

"Two wonderful years," Walter adds, taking his wife's hand in his on the tabletop.

Jade can't help but smile at Beck as the conversation dies and the only sounds come from forks scraping the plates.

"Well," Walter says, breaking the silence, "we'd love to help."

Beck and Jade look at each other to see if the other understands, and subsequently turn to look at Walter. "Help?" Jade asks.

"With the wedding," he clarifies. "We… Shelby and I… want to provide the finances for the wedding."

Beck and Jade are obviously on the same brainwave when they decline.

"No, that won't be necessary," Jade says.

"That's nice of you, but we've got it covered," Beck responds as well.

"Nonsense," Walter contends, a small smile on his face. "You two seem perfectly capable; we simply _want_ to help."

Beck is silent and decides that, since it's Jade's dad, he'll let her answer.

"Yeah, I get that," Jade answers. "But we're perfectly fine. It's going to be a very small wedding, if we even have one…just a few friends." Without saying it, Jade hopes to imply that, if she and Beck were to have a wedding, Walter and Shelby would not be getting an invitation… _especially_ after this dinner.

/ / /

"So, do you think you want to have a wedding?" Beck asks.

It's seven o'clock in the morning on Saturday, and—unlike any normal eighteen-year-olds—Beck and Jade are lying wide-awake on the floor of their living room. There's reasoning behind their position, though; between them, on a soft mat, lies their baby daughter. They're both propped up on their elbows and so that they can stare at each other and Shiloh.

"I dunno," Jade answers, only staring at their daughter. "It doesn't matter to me." As she says her next sentence, she actually looks up at him. "I just want to be married to you."

Beck leans over and kisses her sweetly for a few seconds before pulling back to look at Shiloh.

"I just can't get over how perfect she is," Jade admits as she uses her index finger to gently scratch Shi's tiny stomach. The baby's response is apparent as she kicks her legs and waves her arms around. As Jade and Beck make faces at her like all baby-addicted new parents do, she blinks her eyes repeatedly and even opens her mouth. Little cooing even sounds come from her mouth as Jade continues to tickle and smile at her.

After talking in baby babble to her for a few minutes, Beck and Jade are both taken aback by a sight that they haven't seen before. As Shiloh moves her little limbs around, it appears that she smiles. "Oh my god, Beck," Jade alerts, grabbing his wrist. "Did you just see that?"

Beck can't stop smiling as he watches both his daughter's facial expression and Jade's reaction to it. "Look at you! You're smiling!" He says to Shiloh as she wraps her hand around his finger. Although Beck and Jade have both read the books and recognize that her smile might just be from gas, neither one of them is about to ruin the moment. Their daughter is smiling for the first time, and, after a crappy week, it's all they need to make everything better.


	14. The Babysitters

Chapter Fourteen

"Beck, I really don't know about this."

As Jade rocks a very happy Shiloh in her arms, she nervously paces back and forth across their bedroom.

"Aw, Babe, it's gonna be fine. We _need_ this night. And Shi loves Cat!"

Jade groans, but in her head she reluctantly agrees. She and Beck haven't had a date night in a few months, and they are in desperate need of some alone time. Of course, it isn't at all that they don't love spending time with their adorable six-week-old baby; they simply need to take some time for themselves.

Upon finishing getting ready for dinner, Beck walks from the bathroom into the bedroom. He cups his hands around Jade's cheeks and kisses her softly to try to calm her down. When he pulls away, he looks down at Shiloh and holds out his hands. "Come to Daddy," he coos as he takes their daughter from Jade. As he bounces the baby girl in his arms, he glances at the clock to check the time. "They should be here any min—"

Right on cue, Beck is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell's ring. Jade exhales dramatically as she turns to go let the babysitters in. As expected, Cat and Tori are both smiling when Jade opens the door.

"Hi!" Cat's airy voice lingers in the air long enough for Tori to say hello as well. Jade ignores both of their greetings and instead, upon letting them in and closing the door, directs them to sit on the couch.

"So," Tori says as she takes a seat, "is this why you had us show up twenty minutes before you're leaving...?"

Jade glares at her, and Tori decides not to speak anymore. "I'm leaving my infant child with you for the first time, and there's a lot you need to know. Now first—"

"You can be an infant and a child at the same time?" Cat asks, simultaneously confused and amused.

Jade exasperatedly throws her arms up. "Vega, I'm gonna need you to pay _real_ close attention." Tori nods her head eagerly and Jade continues. "Alright, so it's six forty-five right now. At eight, you'll give her a bottle, which I already made and set on the counter for you. When she's done feeding, you put her to sleep. You'll need to rock her for a little bit, and make sure she has her pacifier and her blanket before you lay her down in the crib—she won't go to sleep without either one of those. There's a baby monitor on the coffee table right in front of you; just listen for her cries once you put her down. We should be back around eleven thirty."

"Feel free to watch TV or whatever once she's asleep," Beck adds as he uses his free hand to grab the keys. Jade takes a deep breath and takes Shiloh from Beck in a final sign of difficulty from leaving her daughter.

"I'm gonna give her to you, Cat, because I don't want her to be crying when I leave. Oh," Jade adds, reminding herself, "if she cries at all, just call us and we'll be home as soon as possible."

Beck looks at Jade sympathetically. "Jade, babies cry all the time. She cries when she's with _us_ sometimes. I think they can handle a little bit of fussiness."

Jade feels uncomfortable with the concept of her crying baby away from her, but accepts the statement with a string attached. "Just call if it gets excessive. If you can't get her to stop after, say, twenty minutes, call me."

Although it's risky, Beck agrees because he knows how nervous Jade is. "Thanks again for doing this, guys," he adds. "Jade and I have really been needing a night out."

"Of course," Tori responds.

"We'll take really good care of her. I promise!" Cat contributes, smiling as she walks over to Jade. She holds her arms out in a position ready for holding Shiloh, and, after a hesitant minute, Jade finally places her daughter in them.

Jade bites her lip in anxiety as she stares at Shiloh in Cat's arms. The baby isn't crying, so Jade figures she should leave before Shiloh starts to whimper. "Okay," she says to Cat and Tori, slowly backing up to stand by Beck, "please take care of her." As she ends her sentence, she grabs onto Beck's arm for comfort and breathes nervously.

"I promise we will," Tori reassures her with a smile. "You guys go and have fun."

"But make sure not to steal popcorn!" Cat warns with a cautious face. When everyone looks at her strangely, she explains. "One time, my brother—"

"Alright, let's go," Beck interrupts, swinging open the door to let Jade out first. "Bye, guys. Thanks again and call us if you need anything," he says before closing the door behind him.

/ / /

**- Text Conversation -**

**Jade West**: Are you sure she's okay?

**Tori Vega**: She's great! Cat's still holding her and she hasn't cried! :) :) :)

"Babe, come on. The whole point of tonight is for _us_ to spend time together. You're not gonna enjoy yourself if you're worried about the baby the entire time. Cat and Tori have it all under control, and they promised to call us if they had any problems. We don't want to be those crazy obsessive parents. Just try to relax, okay?"

"Beck, I'm a mother leaving her child for the first time with a wannabe-actress and an airhead. I have a right to be nervous."

"What does Tori wanting to be an actress have to do with her babysitting skills?"

"Why do you care?"

Beck decides to let her win this one and tries to focus as he pulls into a parking spot at Nozu. Once they're seated inside and Jade sends her fourth check-up text, Beck reaches over and takes the phone from her hand.

"Beck!"

"Just for a little while. We've got to at least _try_ to have some fun."

"I think I should just call one more time."

"I don't think so," Beck replies.

"Just give me my phone. We haven't called in ten minutes."

"Six, actually. Come on, babe, let's just try to enjoy ourselves. I know you miss the baby, but Cat and Tori are doing perfectly fine. You've already called four times since we left thirty minutes ago and I just want you to try to relax."

"Beck, give me the phone."

"No."

"Beck," Jade repeats between gritted teeth, "give it to me."

"Are we gonna do this every time, Jade? Every time we go out, are we gonna call the babysitters nonstop and be those psycho-parents who can't leave their kid for just three hours?"

Jade is angry, but more about the fact that Beck is right than that he won't give her the phone. Just as Beck finishes his question, the waiter approaches their table.

"Are we ready to order?"

Jade takes a deep breath and gives the guy her order so that he'll leave. Once they've ordered and he's gone, Jade looks at Beck again. "When we finish our food, I'm calling."

"Deal," he says happily, and takes a sip of his water. "You know, you're a great mom."

"I know," she answers, trying not to let him see that she _doesn't_ actually know.

"I mean it, Jade. Watching you with Shiloh is the highlight of my days now. The way you treat her and talk to her and just... _are_ with her... It's awesome."

"If watching your girlfriend—"

"_Fiancé_," he corrects.

"... and your baby interact is the highlight of your day, you've got a pretty depressing life," she responds.

"No," he says with a smile, "I have the _best_ life."

"Are you on drugs?"

Beck turns his head slightly and narrows his eyes, gives her a strange look. "What?"

"You're so happy. You're so... jovial."

"Yeah..."

"Since when did you become this happy, smiley person who always has something nice to say?"

Beck pauses for a few seconds and then, putting his elbows on the table so that he can lean forward, explains. "Jade," he says seriously, "I have the best life of anyone I know... I have the world's cutest kid, I'm engaged to the sexiest girl on the planet, and I've still got my whole life ahead of me. Why _wouldn't'_ I be happy?"

For once, Jade is speechless. She could rebut with something about how it sucks to be a teenage parent and how they're going to be judged and have to work so much harder to achieve their dreams, but nothing she could say parallels with Beck's statement. Instead of speaking, she closes the small gap between them by reaching over to kiss him.

"Are you sure we can't call just one more time?" She asks upon leaning back.

Beck laughs. "I promise I'll eat fast. But I'm sure Shiloh is totally fine. She probably hasn't even cried yet!"

/ / /

"Ughhhhh," Cat groans, "how do we make it stop!?"

"I don't know! She's been screaming for ten minutes now! Should we call Jade?"

"No!" Cat answers, rocking the baby back and forth before passing her off to Tori. They two have been taking turns holding her and making attempts to stop the crying, but nothing is working.

"What do we do? We have to stop the crying before Jade calls again and hears her! How do you entertain a one-month-old?!" Tori questions, bouncing Shiloh up and down.

"I thought she was a month-and-a-half-"

"Cat!" Tori retorts. "That's not the point! We just need to get her to stop or else we'll have to call Beck and Jade and ruin their first night out!"

"I have an idea!" Cat exclaims.

Within five minutes, Cat has collected every stuffed animal and toy in the apartment and set them all on the coffee table in front of the couch. Tori, hesitant about the plan, sets the screaming baby on the couch and props her up with soft pillows.

"Okay, what the chiz do we sing to a baby?"

"I know!" Cat answers with a big grin. Shortly after speaking, she gets out her pearphone and starts the song.

"Awwww," Tori moans in disappointment. "I _hate_ this song!"

"Tori," Cat says in a cautious tone, "don't use that kind of talk in front of the baby..."

Tori rolls her eyes. "Let's just sing it." While the girls pause to wait for the first line, they grab some stuffed animals and begin making them dance around.

"What I like about cheese is that you can put it on veggies..." The girls sing in unison, dancing and shaking the animals around. To both of their surprise and delight, Shiloh halts her crying to stare at the girls.

The girls stop for a brief second to relish in their success, and then continue to sing and dance so that they can continue to appease Shiloh.

After they finish singing the song two times through, Tori picks up a pacified Shiloh and the girls plop down on the couch. "Okay," Cat says, picking up the piece of paper on which Jade had written the instructions, "we need to feed her the bottle and then put her to bed. Do you want to do it?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Tori says. "Can you go get it for me?"

Cat nods her head and gets up to fetch the bottle, quickly returning with the milk. When she hands it to her, Tori begins feeding the hungry baby girl, who happily takes the bottle. "You know," Tori says as she looks down at Shiloh, "having a baby might actually be kind of fun. I mean, think about how cool this is. Shiloh is half-Beck and half-Jade... it's amazing."

"Are you trying to say that you want to have a baby?" Cat asks nervously.

"No, no. I mean, Andre and I have talked about getting married and having kids, but not for a long time. We both wanna go to college and stuff first. But seeing Beck and Jade doing fine with the baby at our age... I dunno, it just doesn't seem so bad."

"Wow," Cat says in her usual airy voice.

"Yeah, I mean. I think it'd be sorta... fun."

"Wow," Cat repeats, looking away to avoid saying anything else.

When Tori finishes feeding the baby, she takes her into the bedroom to try to put her to sleep. It's easily done, and the baby goes right to sleep in her crib once she has her pacifier and blanket.

Before they know it, Beck and Jade walk through the door. While he hangs up his jacket and turns to face the girls, Jade makes a beeline for the bedroom.

"So, how did things go? Sorry that we called so much; Jade was a little nervous."

"Everything was great!" Tori says happily, proud that they did so well.

"Yeah, we even got to sing and dance!" Cat adds with a giggle.

Although Beck looks confused, he decides not to ask. "Well good. Thanks again, guys. Jade and I had a great time together and we couldn't have done it without you guys offering to watch Shiloh. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Well," Jade says as she comes out of the bedroom, "she's breathing. Congrats," she says sarcastically as she faces the girls, "you survived three hours with a newborn. How was it?"

"It was fun!" Cat exclaims.

"Jade, don't you have something you want to say?"

Jade glares at Beck, but knows what she has to do. "Thanks," she mutters. "I'm glad she's okay."

When Beck and Jade finally get into bed, they're exhausted. She curls up next to him sweetly, making herself the little spoon. He scoops his arm under her body and loops it up to hold her hand. Their bodies are snuggled together, and he nuzzles his head into her neck as he gently squeezes her hand. "I'm proud of you, Babe," he whispers before kissing her temple.

"I know it was hard for you to leave Shiloh tonight, but you did, and I had a great night with you because of it," he continues. "I just want you to know... that I am so, _so_ happy that we had Shiloh. You were so brave to keep her. I'm just amazed."

Jade is quiet for about a minute, and although she's not looking at him because they're spooning, talks as if she's staring right into his eyes. "You know," she says, pausing between her phrases to hear them both breathing, "she wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." When she ends her sentence, she slowly rolls over to face him.

"When I was in the abortion clinic, all I could think about was you," she whispers. "And then, when I came over to the RV right after, your words were what fixed me. And through the entire pregnancy, you kept me going." She pauses and catches her breath. "Shiloh wouldn't be alive... and I probably wouldn't be either... if it weren't for you."

When Beck can't contain it anymore, he kisses her. His arms hold her tightly against his body as they passionately kiss other over and over again. Eventually, they're tired enough to fall asleep in each other's arms.

/ / /

By Monday morning, Beck, Jade, and Shiloh are on their way to school with good timing. As Beck turns on the radio, Shiloh begins to cry. "I'll get it," Jade says as she quickly unbuckles her seatbelt and reaches back to put the pacifier in her daughter's mouth.

Just as Jade gets the baby to stop crying, she hears a crazy braking noise and several horns firing.

At the sound of the commotion, Jade whips her body back around to look out her passenger seat mirror. As she feels Beck's arm push against her, she watches the truck coming full speed towards her side of the car.

"Jade!"

**Author's Note**: So I know I left you guys with a cliffhanger, but I figured it's about time to do my first story arc. The next THREE chapters will be a story arc, meaning it's one storyline spread across three chapters. Stay tuned and follow me at TheOtherSideFF for spoilers, Q/A's, livechats, and more! :)


	15. The Asleep

**Author's Note****: I just want to thank all of this story's followers & fans. I'm so glad to hear that you're liking the story, and your reviews mean the WORLD to me! This is the FIRST installment of the three-part story arc that I'm doing, so please let me know what you think of it! I'm taking this story to a whole different world with this arc, so just prepare yourselves...**

Chapter Fifteen

"Sir? Sir, wake up!"

The nervous girl carefully shakes Beck's limp body after unbuckling his seat belt. When his eyes flutter open, vertigo takes over and his body is so numb that he can barely feel the tingling. His head is pounding with a terrible aching as he blinks a few times in an attempt to see clearly.

"Sir?"

At the sound of the anxious voice, he slowly directs his eyes to the location of its origin. "My name is Anna and I'm going to help you the best I can. You were in an accident… It wasn't your fault. I watched it happen and I've called the ambulances… We're going to get you out of here, okay?"

Beck only catches bits and pieces of her words, and it isn't long before he begins to panic. "My… Where… I need…" He can't formulate the words he needs to say as he begs himself to force it out. "Jade," he breathes. "Shiloh…"

"Um," Anna says nervously, "is one of those people… the girl laying on your lap?"

Beck is confused for a second as he realizes he hasn't looked at the situation around him. The first thing he sees is blood. All over his arms and chest and the seats… and then his eyes land on his lap, where Anna is staring. In his daze, he hasn't been able to feel the deadweight of a body on him. He swallows hard as he begins to choke at the sight of it.

Her body is bend awkwardly in a way that indicates she was forced into the position. Her feet are still in the passenger seat area, but her body twists over the middle onto Beck's. Everything from her hair to her clothes is stained with blood, and he can't tell whether or not she's breathing.

"Did you…" he trails off.

"I tried to wake her, but she… didn't respond," Anna answers.

Beck's mind is going crazy, but he has to move on to where his daughter is. As much as he wants to turn around to make sure the car seat is still there and Shiloh is perfectly fine, he knows both that he can't move in his position and also that he doesn't hear crying.

"My daughter," he says, looking back up at Anna, "she—"

"The baby?"

Beck swallows hard and tries to nod his head.

"My boyfriend is with her right now back at our car over there," she says, gesturing towards an area Beck can't turn to see. "We… can't get her to stop crying… but I think she's okay."

Beck breathes a sigh of relief, but he remembers that he's still got a lot of hell to get through. "Did you call 911?" He asks, obviously not remembering Anna's earlier words.

"Yes, they should be here soon. I think—"

Anna is interrupted by a whirlwind of sirens that comes rushing to the scene, and her attention is immediately taken by the police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks that come rushing to the scene. It's a mad house as men and women jump out of the vehicles and try to assist with the situation. Within minutes, they are able to tell that the driver in the white truck had run a red light and t-boned Beck's sedan on the passenger's seat side. The incident had caused a several-car pile-up as cars on all sides of the four-way intersection had braked and swerved to try to avoid hitting others.

Within seconds, several paramedics arrive at the car and begin breaking open the doors to get Beck and Jade out. "Jade," he breathes, motioning towards her. "Please help her."

"Just try to keep calm, sir," one of the men assures him. "We're going to do everything we can." On their count of three, several of the paramedics—on either sides of the car—lift Jade's limp body up and over Beck to get her out of the car. "Can you move?" He asks Beck.

"I'm not sure… My legs feel numb, but I think… if I can get out…"

"Okay," he says, and helps the eighteen-year-old out of the car. As he stands up, he searches for Anna and sees her talking to a police officer. "I need to find my… my daughter. She's only eight weeks old and she was in the back seat."

"We've already got EMT over to her, thanks to the girl that was helping you earlier."

"Anna," Beck says.

"Yes, her. Let's focus on you. How do you feel? Can you stand?"

"I'm fine," he lies. He tries to see straight as the world around him looks completely lopsided. "I need to be with my fiancé. Please," he begs.

"We really need to get you cleaned up fir—"

"Sir, please," Beck says as he grabs the man's arm, partially for emphasis and partially for balance. "I need to be with her."

"They took her on a gurney… she's already on her way to the hospital."

"I need to go," he says nervously, looking around desperately as he hopes it's all a dream. "_This can't be real_," he thinks to himself. "_I've just got to wake up… I've just gotta wake up…_"

"Woah," the paramedic says, looking down at Beck's right arm. "What happened here? Did you… whip your arm in front of something? It looks like you're going to need some stitches in this. Come on, let's get you into an ambulance."

"No, no. My daughter," Beck reminds him, stopping in his tracks. "I need to find my daughter."

"Right. I think they took her over here," he says, helping Beck walk over to the EMT area. Even before they arrive, Beck can hear the baby screaming.

"Oh my god," he breathes as he quickens his pace. When they get to the scene, the medics have Shiloh on a little gurney and seem to be doing tests on her to check her eyesight, hearing, and other sorts of things.

"Sir, this is a closed—"

"She's my daughter," Beck interrupts as he tears his way past the man to get to Shiloh. "Can I hold her?"

"Unfortunately we can't let you do that right now, sir," he answers. "If you want the best for your daughter, you've gotta let us check her out and make sure she's alright. We'll certainly meet you at the hospital, though, and we'd be happy to let you take her once both you and her have been taken care of. You can definitely help us out by giving us some information, though. Feel up to that?"

Beck, completely overwhelmed, simply nods his head a couple of times and tries to ignore the intense pain and nausea he feels.

"Her name, age, normal physical description, and any allergies or medical conditions would be helpful."

"Her name is Shiloh Jade Oliver," he says nervously. "She's eight weeks old and she has brown hair and green eyes. She doesn't have any medical history…she's just a baby…" he says as he trails off in disbelief. "She's just eight weeks old…" Upon finishing his sentence, Beck's body can't take the stress or pain, and he passes out.

/ / /

"Beck… Beck, can you hear me?"

The recognized voice rings in Beck's head as the first sign of familiarity he's felt in several hours. As his eyes flutter open, his brain is rather slow to process all that he hears and sees. The same sound is being routinely emitted from a nearby machine that he realizes is monitoring his heartbeat, and he can see that he's in the room of a hospital. His throat is burning from dehydration, and his entire body feels weaker than it ever has. As his eyes refocus, he can see that Andre is sitting in front of him.

He opens his lips to speak, but discovers that he can't make any noise. "Water," he mouths quietly, his slightest whisper alerting his friend to hand him the cup from the nearby table.

"Drink up," Andre encourages, nervous about the questions Beck might ask. All in all, he has little good news to share with his friend.

As Beck sips on the water, he starts to come to his senses and new thoughts immediately resurface. "Jade…" he says, this time with a true—but weak—voice. He looks at Andre with clearly worried eyes. "Where are they?"

Andre takes a deep breath as he braces himself for what he has to tell Beck. In the moment, he panics as he tries to hide his fear. "Maybe I should just get the doc—"

"Andre," Beck mutters, "_please_."

At the sound of his request, Andre folds his hands together and looks at Beck right in the eye. "Shiloh's alright, they're pretty sure. She's in the NICU right now and they're just making sure she's okay. I think she's okay."

While Beck is relieved to hear about the likely safety and health of his daughter, he can't help but wonder why Andre is being so slow to speak about Jade. As much as he loves Shiloh, he needs Jade more than anything or anyone in the world; he can't imagine a life without her. "And Jade?" He asks faintly, voicing his obvious discomfort with his lack of knowledge.

"Beck," Andre starts, carefully choosing his words, "Jade is… Jade is in a coma. She hasn't… woken up yet from the accident."

Beck's heart immediately sinks as he tries to comprehend what he's being told. Jade, the center of his world, the love of his life, and the mother of his child, is currently relying on a machine to keep her breathing. It's unfathomable, and he has to consciously stop his body from panicking. "Is she _going_ to?"

Andre looks uncomfortable and nervous about the question, as he doesn't want to give Beck false information or hope. "I don't know," he says honestly. "I should really just get the doctor… He knows more than I do, and he should know that you're awake anyways…" With that, he follows up his words by rising from his seat and beginning to walk out the door. "Oh," he says, turning back around to face Beck, "I'm really glad you woke up, man. You had me… You had _all of us_ worried sick." He watches as Beck makes no emotion in his distraught state. "I'll be right back," he assures, and exits the room quietly.

Within minutes, Dr. Redford—the head of Trauma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center—is entering the hospital room, with Andre trailing behind him. "Hello, Beck," he greets in a quiet and respectful voice. "I'm happy to see that you're awake, and I just want to inform you that your tests are back and we're expecting you to make a full recovery. You've got some bad bruises on your bones, but nothing meriting surgery or rehabilitation of any kind. We've just got to get that arm of yours stitched up, so I'll have an intern here in about fifteen minutes to take care of that. I imagine you're feeling a good deal of pain at the moment?"

Beck nods his head to answer, only wanting to ask about Jade.

"I've got nurses on the way to inject you with some strong painkillers, but you should know that you won't be removed completely of the pain. Your body has undergone a massive amount of pummeling and it'll be a couple of weeks before you're feeling like yourself again." Dr. Redford pauses as looks at Andre and smiles politely. "You're lucky," he says, looking back at Beck, "to have such supportive friends. You're going to really need them in the coming weeks."

"I need to know about my fiancé," he responds, swallowing hard. "Jade West… she was in the car with me." He stares at the doctor as he awaits his answer, ready to refuse anything but an honest report.

Dr. Redford exhales as if he's preparing to give bad news, and Beck can feel his stomach doing flips. "Beck… Jade is in a very critical condition. The driver who caused the accident hit your vehicle directly on the passenger's side, and your fiancé's safety was greatly compromised by the fact that she wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I—"

"She was taking care of our daughter," Beck interrupts, defending Jade. "Our child was crying in the back seat, so she quickly unbuckled to give her the pacifier and make sure she was okay…" Beck says, explaining the situation more for the purpose of trying to remember what happened rather than to relay the event back to Dr. Redford. "She had only been unbuckled for a few seconds when I saw the truck… Oh, God… Oh, God."

"Try to relax. It's—"

"Relax?" Beck whimpers. "How could I relax? Would you be able to relax if you were me? If, in just an hour, your entire life was changed? How can I relax?"

"I understand, but—"

"You don't. You _don't_ understand," he protests.

"Please just let me explain," Dr. Redford says. "I know that this is hard. We're in a very difficult, shaky situation. I need you to understand that we are doing everything we can to care for your fiancé. Unfortunately, though, we have no predictions about whether or not she will… wake up. It's always a possibility that she could stay comatose, and it's also possible that she will wake up. Still, though, you should know: even if she wakes up, we have no idea how compromised her body is. Her organs, her brain… We're just not sure about the condition of anything yet."

Beck wouldn't have the energy or motivation to formulate words, but he knows he has to move on to ask about his child. "My daughter, Shiloh… She's here?"

"Ah, yes, the good news," Dr. Redford says with a hint of a smile on his face. "Your daughter is doing well. We have the best newborn intensive care unit in the country here at Cedars-Sinai, and our attendings over in OB-GYN have reported well on Shiloh. All of her tests have come back clear, and besides some minor bruising, she's perfectly fine."

Beck can't help but wince at the word "bruising" used in the same sentence as his eight-week-old daughter, but is overwhelmingly assuaged at the fact that she's okay. Still, he can't picture Shiloh without imagining himself as a single father. In the back of his mind, he resents the baby for distracting Jade and inevitably causing her to remove her seatbelt, but his conscious reminds him that such hostility is completely unreasonable.

"Is anyone… with her?" He asks as he slowly looks back and forth between Andre and Dr. Redford. "And Jade? I need to go see her…" he says weakly, trailing off.

"Tori is in the NICU waiting room to relay updates about Shiloh. As for Jade, Cat hasn't left her side for a second since we got to the hospital about forty-five minutes ago. Robbie's at school making sure Lane and all of your teachers know about the accident," Andre summarizes. Knowing that his and Jade's friends had taken it upon themselves to ensure that the couple and their daughter were being watched over is relieving to Beck, and it's obvious in his facial expression.

"Thanks, Andre. You have no idea…how good that is to hear. But, Jade…" Beck says, looking back to the doctor. "I have to be with her. Please," he requests urgently.

Dr. Redford looks at the eighteen-year-old with sympathetic eyes, but he only has words that he knows Beck doesn't want to hear. "I'm sorry, Beck, but that's not going to be possible right now. You're extremely weak, and—"

"Dr. Redford," Beck interrupts, "are you married? Or, at least, in a committed relationship?"

The physician nods his head several times, not exactly sure where his patient is headed with his point. "Yes. Yes, my wife and I have been married for eleven years."

"And how would you feel if she was here in this hospital, hooked up to a machine? If you weren't sure if you'd ever get to hear her voice again? Or look into her beautiful eyes?" Beck almost chokes as his voice quivers towards the end of his questions. "How would you feel if you were in my situation? And then you're told you can't see her? That you can't hold her hand or… or just _be_ with her?"

Dr. Redford is startled, and obviously emotionally affected, by Beck's series of questions. He looks down for a brief second and then looks back up at Beck. After he nods his head a bit, he turns to Andre. "Would you be willing to stay by his side for the entirety of his absence from his hospital bed?"

Andre isn't exactly sure what the question entails, but if it means that Beck will get to see Jade, he'll agree at all costs. "Of course," he answers, clasping his hands together in anticipation.

"Alright, then. Beck, we'll put you in a wheelchair and Andre will roll you and your portable water bag over to Jade's room. There's one string attached, though. You can only stay for a maximum of an hour before you need to be back here, resting. Do we have a deal?"

Beck's face immediately lights up at Dr. Redford's words, and he answers "Yes" as quickly as he can. After just ten minutes, Andre and Beck are on their way to the room in which Jade is lying, comatose. As they're making their way down the hall, a team of about four nurses and doctors dashes past them. When they listen to what may be going on, they can hear an automated, alerting voice saying "Code Blue" over and over again.

It doesn't phase either Beck or Andre until they arrive at Jade's hospital room. It only takes a second to see that she's not in her bed, though; instead, she's lying on the gurney that's being rushed into the operating room.

**Just click that pretty little review button down there...**


	16. The Dream

**Author's Note: I hope you are all enjoying the arc so far. I know there have been some concerns with where I'm taking this story, but please just trust me and know that—wherever I'm going with this—it's going to be satisfying. I promise. As I announced on my Twitter, this chapter is quite the emotional roller coaster. Throughout, I will be switching between two different worlds: reality and a dream. Change in worlds will be indicated by the presence of "/ / /".**

Chapter Sixteen

"She's crashing. We've got seconds, people, seconds!"

Jade, whose heartbeat is quickly diminishing on the operating room table, can barely hear the doctor's words in the depths of her consciousness. Her chest is cracked open as the team of surgeons attempts to stop her from bleeding out, and the machine that tracks her heart rate emits quick, consecutive beeping sounds indicating her fragile condition. Within thirty seconds, the system starts releasing a long and high-pitched sound that lets the doctors know her heart is no longer beating.

As Jade comes to her inner conscious, she opens her eyes to see an unrealistically blue sky. As she gets a better look, she realizes that she's lying down in the grass. She sits up slowly to look around her, and immediately recognizes the location. It's her favorite place to fly kites with Beck; more importantly, it's the place he proposed to her just weeks ago. The only sound she hears is the wind whisking through the trees, and it's just barely loud enough for her to pick up.

Before long, Jade decides to stand up. She doesn't know where she is in terms of any kind of afterlife, but she knows she can't be in Heaven; if this were her paradise, it's missing the two most important—

"Hi."

The voice comes from behind her, and a warm chill races through her body as she hears it. As goosebumps quickly cover her limbs, she turns around to see whom the word had come from.

/ / /

"I brought you some coffee. The nice doctor said you could have some."

Cat's sweet voice is hard not to smile at, but Beck manages to avoid any facial expression whatsoever as he takes the carbon cup that he's being handed. When he looks at the brown liquid inside, though, all he can think about is Jade.

As he sits upright in his hospital bed, he lets his right arm remain still—in accordance with the doctor's suggestions. The eighteen stitches that lace up his forearm are relatively painless—thanks to the injection of painkillers through an IV in his left arm—but his mental pain far surpasses any kind of physical discomfort he might feel.

"How's your arm doing?" Andre asks sympathetically, trying to attend to his best friend's every possible need.

"It's fine," Beck answers inexpressively.

"How, uh… How did that happen, anyways?"

Beck takes a few seconds to begin speaking, as the answer involves remembering what exactly had happened in the car earlier this morning. "Jade was unbuckled when I saw the truck. I thought that if my arm was…somehow…in front of her, maybe she wouldn't…go through the window. I was just trying to push her back…"

Andre and Cat are quiet as they nod their heads in understanding of what Beck had done for Jade. Before either one of them can respond, a seemingly out-of-breath Tori shows up at the door of the hospital room. "Hey, Beck," she says from the doorframe. He can tell she doesn't expect an answer when she quickly follows up her greeting by turning her attention to Andre. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure," he responds. He rises from his seat at his girlfriend's request and follows her at outside of the room, closing the door behind him. "What's going on?"

He barely gets the question out before Tori's lip begins to quiver and her eyes well up with tears. "I came as fast as I could… Shiloh's in surgery."

"What?!" Andre exclaims. "What? No! She's been doing fine! The doctor just told Beck an hour ago that she's fine!"

"I know!" Tori cries. "I was in the waiting room and they were about to release her to me when they said they noticed she was having trouble breathing… The next thing I knew, they told me they were gonna have to take her to an OR and now she's in surgery…" A tear drops down Tori's face as she describes the events of just minutes ago. "I just don't understand. Poor Beck. One second, he's driving to school; the next, the two people he loves the most are lying on operating tables in a hospital…" Tori trails off as she collapses with weakness into her boyfriend's arms. His shoulder suppresses her sobs as she sniffles into his shirt helplessly, and he holds her for a minute before they each slowly pull away.

"I think we should wait to tell Beck," Andre confesses.

"What?" Tori questions. "No, Andre, he needs to know."

"Tori… He's in really bad shape right now… I don't know how he'll react to news like this, and I don't wanna find out."

Tori takes a deep breath as she mulls over Andre's thought for a minute. "Okay," she agrees. "I'm gonna head back over to the NICU to see if the nurses have any updates on Shiloh. I just really hope that she makes it through this…"

/ / /

When Jade turns around, she sees one of the strangest sights she's ever encountered. Although the person standing in front of her can't be more than five years old, the typically fearless Jade is terrified of her.

"Are you sad, Mommy?" The little girl asks as she leans her head to the side in innocent curiosity. Her little facial features crunch on her face to make, admittedly, the cutest confused look Jade has ever seen.

Jade can barely process the questions she's being asked as she stares intently at the girl. Even if she wanted to, she can't tear her eyes away from the child. Her skin is a flawless white—not nearly as pale as Jade, but just dark enough. Her golden brown, curly hair falls past her shoulders in a perfectly effortless way, and her lips are undeniably the same cranberry color as Beck's. It isn't until she looks into the little girl's eyes, though, that Jade instantaneously feels a connection with her. As both sets of beautiful green orbs focus on each other's, Jade feels certain that she knows the child's identity.

After taking a few brave steps towards her, the eighteen-year-old bends down to be at her level. "Are you…" Jade starts, but realizes that she can't finish her question.

"Mommy!" The little girl rejoices before Jade has time to panic, and, with a precious smile on her face, throws her arms around her mother's neck. Jade is startled, but her instant reaction is to embrace the child. As she desperately wraps her arms around her daughter's tiny body, she strokes her soft hair lovingly and tries not to focus on anything but how wonderfully perfect the moment is.

Suddenly, though, a horrible thought strikes Jade's mind and she immediately pulls away from Shiloh. "Wait," she says, still holding onto the child's arms, "where are we? Where are you?" If she herself is currently in surgery, she has a chance at waking up—maybe. If Beck isn't here—wherever they are—he's presumably alive. If _Shiloh_ is here, and she was in the back seat of the car, what does that mean for her? Jade doesn't even breathe before her next question. "Where's Daddy?"

"I like this place," Shiloh responds in her childish innocence. "It's my favorite."

"I need you to tell me where Daddy is, Baby," Jade begs her daughter. "Do you know where we are?"

"I was waiting for you, Mommy. I was sad without you. But now I'm gonna be sad again."

Jade does her best to comprehend the words that are coming out of Shiloh's mouth, but she doesn't understand anything. She hasn't a clue where they are, and all she wants to know is where Beck is. If Beck could just show up, everything would be perfect and Jade wouldn't bother thinking twice about what's going on; she wouldn't care. Shiloh catches her mother's attention, however, with her last short sentence.

"What does that mean, Shi? What do you mean you're going to be sad? Mommy's going to stay right here with you."

"No," Shiloh protests in an adorably upset tone as she shakes her little head. "Come with me, Mommy."

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" Jade is paralyzed with confusion and fear as she grips her daughter just gently enough not to hurt her.

"I have to leave now. Come with me. Please, Mommy?"

"Yes, of course, Baby, but you're not going anywhere. You're gonna be with me," Jade reassures as she wraps the little girl into a tight hug. "Mommy will protect you. I promise."

"Bye, Mommy. I love you."

Before Jade can respond, her arms are empty and she falls back onto the grass in a hazy perplexity. She quickly darts her head around to try to find her daughter, but nothing prevails. "Shiloh!" she calls out, only to hear the wind brushing against the trees. "Shiloh!" She yells again desperately, standing up to get a better look at her surroundings. As she spins around aimlessly in hopes of seeing her daughter, salty tears of defeat begin falling from her eyes.

When she knows that she's alone again, she involuntarily collapses onto the grass and sobs into the earthy green.

/ / /

"We've got a heartbeat. She's back."

The relieved OB-GYN takes few deep breaths as she watches the heart monitor pick up signals from the eight-week-old's chest.

"How long was she down for?" An intern asks, ready to record the answer for medical records.

"About three minutes. _Too_ long. She's lucky," Dr. Booker—the chief of Neo-Natal Surgery at the hospital—answers. "It's time to close her up; she's going to be fine. Lexie," she says, looking at the intern, "I need you to go give the message to whoever's waiting. I think her name is Victoria… Just go let her know that the baby is coming out of surgery soon."

The girl nods her head and quickly hurries out of the OR to find Tori. When she arrives at the waiting room, Tori and Cat are both sitting anxiously in their seats.

"Is… one of you Victoria?" Lexie asks sweetly, noting the girls' seemingly young ages. Lexie herself is rather young, which should make talking to them easy.

At the sound of her voice, Tori immediately rises. "Yes, that's me. I'm Tori."

"Dr. Booker sent me to tell you that Shiloh is doing great. The accident put a lot of pressure on her lungs, particularly because they're so small, so she was having trouble breathing. We were able to crack her chest—"

Lexie is interrupted by a shriek from Cat, and both girls turn to face the nervous redhead.

"It's okay, it's okay," Lexie reassures. "Dr. Booker is getting her all closed up and she's going to be just fine. She should be out of surgery in about twenty minutes."

"And then we can see her?" Tori asks.

"Yes, absolutely."

Tori breathes a sigh of relief and lets her head fall backwards before turning it back up to face the doctor. "Thank you so much. This is exactly the news I need to give our friend."

"He was in the car, right?" Lexie asks to clarify. "He's the one with the girlfriend in the… coma?"

"Yeah," Tori answers in a sullen voice.

"I'm so sorry to hear about it," Lexie says sympathetically. "You guys are just too young to have to deal with stuff like this… I mean, I feel like I was your age, like, _yesterday_. Time goes by so fast; it just sucks that you have to spend some of it doing this…"

"Thanks," Tori acknowledges. "I guess I'll see you when Shiloh comes out."

"Definitely," Lexie confirms with a small smile. "See you," she says as she turns around to make her way back to the OR.

"We should go tell Beck," Cat observes in the silence.

"Yeah, good idea. One of us should stay here, though."

"You go," the redhead says softly. "If they ask me about Jade, I think…" Before she can finish her sentence, Cat drops her head down and begins to cry. Tori is instantly distressed by Cat's tears and pulls her friend into a hug. No one likes to watch anyone cry—well, except for maybe Jade—but watching _Cat Valentine_ cry is like being sucker-punched in the gut.

"It's okay," Tori soothes, rubbing her back gently. "Jade is going to be okay. I'm sure of it. She's gonna wake up, Cat. Don't worry." After the girls hug for a few minutes and Cat gets her tears out, they pull away to part. "I'm gonna go tell Beck and Andre about Shiloh. I'll be right back," she promises.

While Cat sinks back into her chair, Tori walks briskly to the other side of the hospital and into Beck's room. "Hey, guys. I have great news," Tori says with a smile on her face. "Shiloh's okay."

Just as Andre begins to say something about what good news it is, Tori's attention is turned to see the confused look on Beck's face. "Wait, what do you mean _she's okay_? Wasn't she _okay_ thirty minutes ago?"

Tori is at a loss for words as she quickly remembers that she and Andre hadn't told him about the doctors having to rush Shiloh into surgery. "Yeah," she follows up without delay, using her best acting skills to hide her error. "They weren't sure if she was recovered _all the way_, though. Now they are. She's doing just great. In fact, Cat and I are waiting to go see her."

This answer seems to satisfy an exhausted Beck, much to Andre and Tori's relief. They'll tell him, of course, eventually, but they figure now is probably a terrible time to let him know about their lie. "What about Jade?" He asks. "Any word on how her surgery is going?"

"We haven't heard anything," Tori answers honestly. "You guys will probably get an update faster than us, but if they tell us anything we'll call right away. Anyways, though, I'm gonna get back to Cat. Just keep in touch," she says before exiting the room.

After half an hour, just a little over what Lexie had suggested the wait would be, Dr. Booker comes to get Tori and Cat from the waiting room. "Shiloh's out of surgery and doing great," she says promisingly with a genuine smile on her face. "I assume you want to see her?"

"Yes!" Cat and Tori answer simultaneously before eagerly following the woman into the NICU room. It isn't long before they see Shiloh in the clear glass bassinette, stirring quietly while sucking on a hospital-given pacifier. Cat is the first to ask to hold her, which Dr. Booker kindly approves.

"Hi," Cat says quietly in her gentle, high-pitched voice. "Hi, Baby Shiloh. I missed you so much." The redhead's unfiltered speech is heartbreakingly simple, and Tori just watches as Cat kisses the baby's forehead softly. As she rocks Shiloh in her arms, she continues talking to her. "Your mommy and daddy will be so happy that you're okay."

"Here," Tori says, taking out her pearphone, "let me get a picture of you and Shi so we can send it to Beck and Andre. I'm sure they could use it to cheer them up."

"I don't feel like smiling," Cat says gloomily, "but you can take a picture of me holding her." Her offer is accepted by Tori, who simply smiles sympathetically and snaps a picture of Shiloh and Cat looking at each other.

"I think this is better anyways," Tori says as she sends the photo to the guys.

Just as Beck and Andre's phones alert them with the image from Tori, Dr. Redford walks into the room. Upon his entrance, both boys immediately sit up straighter as they impatiently await information.

"How is she?" Beck asks in an uneasy voice.

Dr. Redford takes a deep breath and looks at Beck bravely.

"Beck," he says calmly. "I'm so sorry."

**Want Chapter 17? Hit the Review button.**


	17. The Cry

Chapter Seventeen

"Are you sure there's nothing we can get you?"

Andre sighs as Beck shakes his head; this is the third time today that his friend has rejected any kind of food or beverage. Although they've delivered coffee and a muffin, Beck hasn't touched it. Between Andre, Cat, Robbie, and Tori, the four make sure that one of them is with Beck at all times. He has held Shiloh for five days straight now, only getting up from his chair when she cries and needs to be bounced or when he has to go to the bathroom—at which time whoever is with Beck takes the baby for a minute or two.

The lunch period at Hollywood Arts is almost over, so everyone has to get back to school. However, it's Andre's shift now to be with Beck, so he sinks into the couch next to Beck as everyone bids goodbyes.

The two are silent for a long time, as Beck hasn't had anything to say to anyone for days and Andre's at a loss for words about what to say to his best friend. Eventually, though, he musters up the courage to speak.

"So..." Andre starts, his voice shaking, "it's been five days. I'm so sorry, man. I really am."

After taking a few minutes to respond, Beck finally opens his mouth. "I think I just want to be alone."

Andre turns his head to look at Beck, who has his eyes fixated on something else. He looks paler than ever. He's lost weight due to the fact that he hasn't eaten a true meal in five days, and he's more emotionally and physically fragile than anyone's ever seen him. He's barely slept; instead, he sits awake in misery through every night. Most critically, he wants to hold Shiloh at all times. Just a few days ago he'd explained with some of the only words he's spoken when he claimed that Shiloh is what he has of Jade. "_I can't hold Jade_," he'd said, "_but I can hold Shiloh_."

More silence passes as Andre tries to decide whether or not he should leave Beck. His gut tells him that he shouldn't be alone in this time, but the request is one of the only ones Beck has made in so long that Andre feels it's necessary to consider. After a while, Andre puts his hands together and turns to look back at Beck. "Okay," he says softly. "I guess... I guess I'll go back to school. I'll come by to check on you after... Is that cool?"

Beck doesn't make a sound, but he nods his head in consent and watches from the corner of his eye as Andre picks up his backpack and leaves.

Beck sits in silence for about twenty minutes before Shiloh begins to whimper. When her little noises eventually turn to cries, Beck forces himself to stand up. He walks around the room a little bit and bounces Shiloh to get his blood flowing, but this still fails to pacify her. A quick glance at the clock tells him that it's time for her to feed—another reminder of something he always loved to watch Jade do for Shiloh.

He makes his way over to a table on which he's kept the baby's bottles, a pitcher of water, and the box of formula. After making Shiloh her bottle and warming it up with the microwave, Beck gently begins to feed it to his daughter. It's only after a few sips, though, that—as usual—she begins to cry again as she refuses take the formulated milk. The doctors had told Beck that it'd be quite the task to train a usually-breastfed baby to drink unnatural milk, but, ironically, he hadn't anticipated just how stubborn Shiloh would be. He waits impatiently for her to accept the bottle, and, after she wails for about ten minutes, she finally gives up and begins sucking the milk from it.

It's a challenging feed, like every one of them has been since Monday, and Beck sighs in exhaustion when it's over. Shiloh doesn't finish the bottle, but when she's had enough, she nuzzles into her dad's arm and closes her little eyes. Beck walks around with her a bit more to make sure she's asleep, and—when he finally builds up the courage—takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Hi, Gorgeous," he says in a weak, almost lifeless voice. He transfers Shiloh to a position in which he can hold her with just his left arm, and then uses his free hand to hold Jade's.

"I'm so sorry that I haven't talked to you much," he says. "It's just so hard to look at you... to see you like this." At the end of his sentence, Beck's voice cracks as he begins to choke on his tears. "I'm so sorry," he says again. "I miss you like crazy." Beck releases her hand to wipe the tears from his face and tries to keep his composure. "I miss seeing you smile at me—the few times that it happens—and I miss that scowl you always give me... I miss watching you with Shiloh," he says as a faint trace of a smile appears on his face at the thought of seeing Jade interact with their daughter.

"Oh, God, Jade. You have to come out of this. Our daughter can't grow up without a mom... I don't know what I'm doing. I've had to feed her formula, which she doesn't like nearly as much as feeding from you... And when she cries, I know all she wants is you." As he finishes his word, he squeezes Jade's hand tightly and brings it up just a bit to kiss it. "I just don't know how this happened... It was just a week ago that I was telling you how happy I was, and now it seems like somehow all of that is gone..."

He looks up at the life support machine to watch the two bars; while the upper shows Jade's heart beat with the help of life support, the bottom shows if she can breathe on her own. Naturally, she has a heartbeat on the top—but the bottom bar hasn't moved in a hundred and twenty hours.

Before Beck can speak anymore, his attention is turned to the door, through which Dr. Redford enters. After closing the door quietly, he checks Jade's stats to find that nothing has changed. "Well," he says, walking back around to face Beck, "how are _you_ doing?"

The eighteen-year-old looks at the doctor with a blank expression. "I'm fine," he lies.

"Have you eaten? You... don't look like—"

"Not much. I haven't been hungry."

Dr. Redford sighs. "I understand. Beck," he says, pulling his glasses off of his face, "we do need to talk." After a momentary pause, he takes a deep breath and furthers. "It's been five days since Jade has shown any promise of cardiac independence. Her brain is showing weak signs of activity, but if she can't breathe on her own..." He hopes that Beck will say something—anything—but he doesn't. "We simply need to start considering her options. Have you spoken with her parents—"

"She's emancipated."

"Her parents have been by to see her... I'm sure they'd want a say in—"

"Her _father _has come by. But he hasn't been her father in years..."

"So," Dr. Redford replies, "who's her emergency medical contact?"

Beck sighs. "I am."

Dr. Redford raises his eyebrows and holds his breath in a bit of shock. "Wow," he says through an exhale. "Okay. Well, then... the decision is up to you."

"I'm sorry," Beck says, furrowing his eyebrows, "what... _decision_ are you talking about?"

When Dr. Redford doesn't answer for a minute, Beck's heart beats rapidly at what his next words might be. "Beck," he starts, "it's been five days since Jade's surgery... which makes five days that she's been living off of life support. The service is expensive, as I'm sure you've realized, and the longer she stays on it the more likely her brain is to be compromised... _if_ she does... wake up."

"Wait, so, the odds of her waking up... haven't changed?" Beck asks as he feels the room begin to spin.

"Unfortunately... not. I'm very sorry, Beck," Dr. Redford says to the teenager.

Beck closes his eyes for a few seconds to try to keep from choking. As much as he tries to take deep breaths, he can't force himself to breathe. He feels like he's had the wind knocked out of him, and as he looks from the doctor back to Jade, he can't imagine her not waking up. "I need to keep her on... What will happen if we...take her _off_?"

"Well," Dr. Redford says, "one of two things could happen. Her body might recognize that she has to breathe on her own, and her heart will begin to beat on it's own. More likely, however... her body will be extremely weak, and she won't be able to survive without the machine."

Beck can't control it anymore, and his eyes begin to well up with tears. Although only a few fall from his eyes, his insides are hollering with a desire to burst. "How much longer," he asks, "can she stay on?"

"Hypothetically speaking, she could stay on for years. However, finances and brain damage make that an obviously irrational choice. For Jade's situation, it's not… medically reasonable for her to continue her dependence on life support for more than… a few more days."

"So," Beck utters, afraid that his arms are going to go numb and he'll drop his daughter, "she has a _few days_ to wake up?"

There's an eerie silence for a few moments as Jade's life hangs in the balance, and Dr. Redford finally breaks it by confirming Beck's question. "If she doesn't come out of the coma in the next seventy hours or so, we'll strongly advise for you to take her off of the machine."

/ / /

As Beck sits in an uncomfortable chair that he's scooted up next to Jade's hospital bed, he looks around the room that the accident has held them hostage in for a week. It's not empty by any means; other than the standard items that can be found in a hospital room, there are flowers with cards cluttered in various places. The gifts have come from everyone: teachers and students at Hollywood Arts, the couple's parents and friends, and even a few neighbors. If anything, at least he knows he's not alone.

It's five o'clock in the morning, but that doesn't stop Cat from taking her shift to stay with Beck and keep him company. She, in particular has taken the accident extremely roughly. She hasn't been herself since it happened, and Jade's absence has had a noticeable effect on her behavior. Still, she loves to sit with her best friend and talk to her. Like a child, Cat draws pictures in class—complete with glitter and all—and delivers them to Jade every day when she comes to the hospital. Almost an entire half of one of the room's walls, in fact, is now covered with the drawings.

Beck hasn't slept for even ten minutes in the past two days, as he knows that they might be his last with the love of his life. He's weaker than ever, but no physical inhibition will prevent him from staying awake with Jade.

"Beck," Cat says quietly, "you don't look very good. Maybe… you could go get some coffee?"

"I'm okay," he lies, barely able to get the words out.

"Beck, please," she begs in her sweet voice. "I'll hold Shiloh. Just go down to the cafeteria and get coffee. And maybe one of those cute little muffins."

Beck is intent on not leaving, but his throat and stomach are practically begging him to do it. He could ask Cat to get it for him, but he knows that if he doesn't get up to walk around more than he has in the past two days, his body will be compromised for it later. "Alright," he sighs, slowly getting up to hand the baby to Cat. "I won't be gone more than ten minutes."

"I'll see you then," Cat says sweetly and carefully takes Shiloh into her arms. As she walks around the room, she sings to the baby girl while rocking her calmly. After just a couple of minutes, she's distracted by something.

"Uh-oh," she says, not knowing if she's talking to herself or Shiloh. "I have to go to the bathroom." At a loss for what to do, Cat paces back and forth as she tries to hold it. "I know your Daddy doesn't want me to put you down," she says to Shiloh, "and there's nowhere to put you." She looks around the room, desperate for somewhere safe to set the baby. "Okay," she says, walking over to Jade, "just sit with your mommy for a few seconds." Since Jade is propped up a decent amount, Cat figures that Shiloh will be safe for a few minutes if she can position her right.

Cat lifts one of her best friend's arms up and carefully sets Shiloh in between Jade's body and arm. When she's sure that the baby is nudged perfectly into place with a small enough chance of wiggling out, she whispers, "I promise I'll be quick!" and hurries out of the room.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

With only the sound of the machine's constant humming and no one to comfort her, Shiloh begins to cry. As the cries turn to screams, she squirms around a bit to try to get someone's attention. It's the first time in seven days that she isn't being held by someone who's _really alive_, so naturally her fussiness is only increasing.

"_That's her. That's my girl. Oh, Shiloh._"

"Shhh. Shhh, it's okay."

Shiloh can't hear over her sobs, but when the soft hand comes over and rubs her tiny stomach slowly, she settles down a decent amount.

"Shhh," Jade whispers again. "Mommy's here."


	18. Kisses, Kisses, Kisses

**Author's Note: YAY! The three-story arc is over, thank God. I really hope that you all enjoyed it (as much as you were able to, haha) and every one of your reviews has meant so much to me! If you don't follow me already on Twitter, you can do so at TheOtherSideFF. Thanks so much for your comments, and keep them coming! :)**

Chapter Eighteen

"Cat?"

The bubby girl stops in her tracks as she hears the voice she hoped she wouldn't. She looks down quickly and starts to turn around when he repeats himself.

"Cat, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry!" She whimpers, turning around to face Beck.

"Why aren't you with Jade? Where's Shiloh?"

"I'm sorry!" Cat repeats. "I had to go to the bathroom and I was trying to get back before you did but there were a lot of girls in there and—"

"Where's Shiloh?" He asks impatiently.

"She's… Well, she's…"

Cat doesn't finish before Beck, who's carrying a coffee, brushes past her and begins running down the hallway to get to Jade's room a soon as possible. Cat quickly follows after him as fast as she can, hoping that everything with Jade and Shiloh is still okay.

When Beck arrives at the door, he's nearly out of breath because he hasn't exerted himself in a week. What he sees, however, takes any air he has left completely out of him. "Jade?" He breathes as he sees her opening eyes. He looks from Jade to Shiloh, who's sitting contently on the hospital bed between her mom's arm and body. Her little stomach is being softly and slowly rubbed by Jade's hand, which is obviously appeasing to the baby girl.

Beck forces an exhale before quickly making his way over to the side of the bed. "Jade," he repeats through a breath as his shaking hand sets the coffee on the nightstand. "Oh, Jade." Beck kisses her forehead and lets his lips linger for a few seconds before pulling away. "You scared me."

Jade gives him a weak smile. She wants to tell him kiss her, but the task of trying to process everything in her slow-moving brain is overwhelming and she isn't sure if she can utter the words. After just several moments of staring at his fiancé, though, Beck gently presses his lips against hers in a kiss he's waited a week for. "I love you so much," he whispers before kissing her one more time.

"What… happened to me?" Jade asks in a soft voice.

"We were in a car accident," Beck explains. "It was seven days ago. A truck hit us on the way to school on your side… it was really bad. It doesn't even matter now, though, because you're okay and that's all I care about."

"What about Shiloh?" Jade asks instinctively.

"She's perfectly fine," Beck says, redirecting his eyes to look at his beautiful daughter. "She just missed her mom, like I did."

"Is it my turn?"

At the sound of the undeniably innocent voice, Beck and Jade both look to the doorframe, where Cat is waiting patiently to see her best friend. Her eyes are watering and she brushes her nose as she sniffles a couple of times.

"Cat," Jade says weakly, "come here."

Tears begin coming down Cat's cheeks as she hurries over to Jade. She bends down to hug her as tightly as she can without suffocating Shiloh, whispering over and over again how much she had missed Jade.

"Please don't ever do that again," Cat mumbles as she pulls away.

"Aw, I thought it was pretty fun," Jade says softly, still taking pleasure in Beck and Cat's matching upset faces. "I don't plan on doing it again, though," she reassures as she looks down at Shiloh. "If I left her with the two of you, she'd probably look like a strawberry cupcake every day and have a weird fetish for Canadian music."

Beck cracks a smile at Jade's usual macabre sense of humor and Cat can't help but giggle at the idea of Shiloh dressed up like a cupcake. "I think she would be a cute cupcake," the redhead declares.

"She'd be a cute anything," Jade counters, even giving Cat a hint of a smile.

…

"Ooh. Ooh!"

"Yes! Shiloh, look at me! Look at Daddy!"

"Look at Daddy, Shi!" Jade coos as she looks from Shiloh to Beck, who's holding his camera with one hand and snapping his fingers with the other.

"Ooh!" Shiloh exclaims again, kicking her feet. As the baby lies on her back, she's anything but still. Much to her parents' delight, she's moving all of her limbs wildly and making adorably loud baby noises.

It's been three weeks since Jade woke up from her seven-day coma, which has been just enough time for her to recover. While the couple has enjoyed their full-time days at home with Shiloh, they know that today marks the last of them. Tomorrow will bring their first day back at school since the accident, and both of them are ready to get things back to normal. As they lie on the floor of their living room, one of their favorite places, they watch their quickly growing daughter as if she's the only person in the entire world.

"Get her to smile," Beck requests as he snaps picture after picture.

"How am I supposed to do that? She probably doesn't like to smile," Jade retorts, refusing to voice her secret concern that her daughter will never smile at her.

"Jade, all babies like to smile, but you have to smile _at her_ to get her to do it," Beck explains.

"What? No! I think you're forgetting that she's my daughter. I don't like to smile, so she probably doesn't either. And besides, I refuse to be one of those cheesy obnoxious moms who smiles like an idiot at her child."

"Since when does smiling at your kid make you cheesy?" Beck asks, putting down the camera for just a second.

"_You_ smile at her!" Jade says, slightly irritably.

"I _have been_," Beck protests. "She likes you better," he says, half-kidding and hoping to appeal to Jade's emotional side.

Jade pauses to think about his comment for a few seconds. "Well _that's_ true," she admits. "Fine. I'll do it for a second—but you absolutely will not get that camera anywhere near my face."

"Deal," Beck agrees with a grin, picking up the camera again to point it at Shiloh.

Jade exhales dramatically and gains the baby's attention again. "Shiloh," she begs one last time with a straight face, "will you _please_ smile for Daddy?" When all she receives is a blank stare from the baby, Jade gives up. "_Pretty_ please?" She asks, this time through an open-mouth smile.

Instantaneously, Shiloh mimics her mother's face and opens her mouth in a beaming smile. "Ah!" The baby exclaims in an excited coo as Beck laughs and snaps at least twenty pictures.

"Oh my god," Jade utters, unable to contain her elation. "Oh my god! Did you get it?" she asks, looking at Beck.

"Totally. I told you it would work! Make her do it again!"

Jade rolls her eyes, but the action is meaningless when paired with the trace of a smile still left on her face.

"Boo!" She blurts out towards Shiloh, who then emits a high-pitched shriek that sounds like a giggle. As Jade continues to say the word and tickle the baby's stomach gently, she repeats the giggle over and over again.

"You are amazing," Beck marvels as he sets the camera down after at least ten minutes of play.

"Yeah, yeah," Jade replies, looking at him for just a second before turning her attention back to Shiloh again.

"I mean it," he says honestly, using his fingers to lift up her chin. When her eyes turn to meet his, he kisses her sweetly and smiles. "Can you believe she's three months old today?" He asks as both parents turn their eyes back to face their daughter.

"Don't talk about it," Jade demands.

"She's gotten so _cute_," He says as he gently touches one of the baby's cheeks. Jade has no argument against his words as she looks at Shiloh's smile. "Soon, she'll be walking and talking and—"

"Beck," Jade warns, grabbing his wrist, "don't."

He smiles playfully and kisses Jade's cheek. "I love how sensitive you are about that."

"Beck!" Jade snaps. "I am _not_ sensitive!"

"Come on Jade, you totally are," he points out.

"What are you talking about?" She argues, and before they know it they're both talking over each other—like they always do in their arguments—and neither one of them is listening to what the other is saying. It doesn't take too long before Shiloh notices the change in her environment (no one is smiling at her anymore) and she begins to cry.

As soon as the whimpering begins, Jade drops her word and immediately turns her focus back to the baby. "Oh," she says, picking her up from the blanket, "did Daddy make you sad?" Naturally, Shiloh is completely pacified by her mother's touch and voice. "Yeah, we don't like it when he tries to call us sensitive, do we?"

Beck purses his lips as he watches Jade prove herself wrong. She is _most definitely_ sensitive about anything involving Shiloh, but he decides just to let her have her way with this one. Besides, he's not about to say anything that will ruin the moment between Jade and Shiloh.

"Hey," Beck says instead, "I have an idea for what to do today."

Jade is still focused on playing with Shiloh that she either ignores Beck's comment or simply doesn't hear it.

"I figure," he continues anyways, "that today's pretty special because of Shiloh's three month birthday and cause it's our last day before we go back to school. So, to celebrate, why don't we take Shiloh swimming for the first time?"

"To the beach?" Jade tests him.

"No, no," Beck assures, clearly passing. "We'll just take her downstairs," he suggests, referring to the pool that all members of the apartment complex have access to. "She's got that swimsuit that Cat got her and she's never used. ...And it's not even pink."

Jade looks at Beck as she tries to hide her anxiety about taking Shiloh into water. "I don't think we can even do that. She's too young," she says confidently as if she's positive it's true.

"Jade, we're her parents; we can do whatever we want."

"I don't think it's safe," Jade argues.

Beck pauses to give his fiancé the best puppy dog face he's got. "Please?" He asks in the charming voice he _always_ uses to win her over.

Jade rolls her eyes, but she can't ignore his sweetness any longer. "Fine. Only for a little bit."

Beck smiles and kisses her cheek again before hopping up and heading into their bedroom to change.

Jade, still sitting on the floor with Shiloh, sighs and shakes her head. "Canadians."

After about fifteen minutes, Jade has Shiloh dressed in the red swimsuit and doesn't admit to Beck that she's never looked cuter. As he makes his way over to pick his daughter up off of the changing table, he watches from the corner of his eye as Jade slips on her swimsuit. She's been coy about letting him see her body since Shiloh's birth, but there's no hiding her bounce-back now. Between her genetically small bone structure, the breastfeeding, and the weight she'd lost from the coma, Jade is easily back to her pre-baby body—that is, with the exception of her boobs, which are still significantly bigger.

When Beck whistles the traditional tune to point out attractiveness, Jade quickly snaps up her black bikini top and slips on her favorite black romper.

"I don't know what you're so worried about," he confesses innocently. "You look sexy."

Normally Jade wouldn't blush, but motherhood as thrown her hormones completely out of wack and her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink as she does her best not to look at Beck. "Hey," he says, walking towards her and touching her upper arm, "I'm serious. You're _gorgeous_."

Jade takes a deep breath as she comes to the realization that she has to once again become comfortable with her body. She knows she's lucky that her young age has made her able to get her body back so easily, but she's still adjusting to the changes. Just as she's about to say something about how tacky he's being, he kisses her yet again.

"You are just feeling the love today, aren't you?" Jade says sarcastically, even though they both know she loves their kisses just as much as he does.

"Whatever," he says teasingly, "tell me again how corny I am and I won't kiss you for the rest of the day." Neither of them can keep from laughing—at least on the inside—at the thought of the two of them trying to last for even an hour without showing affection, and the two (plus Shiloh) head for the elevator.

When the family arrives at the pool, they're the only ones there. Beck is thankful, because he knows that there's no way Jade would put Shiloh in a pool with other people. "Okay," he says, "I've got the camera, so why don't you get in with her while I take some pictures?"

"What if she doesn't like it?"

"She's gonna like it, Babe," Beck reassures.

"What if she cries?"

"Well, we'll give it a few seconds, but if she really hates it, then I guess we'll take her out."

Jade sighs in nervousness and hands the baby to Beck as she slides her romper off. It takes all he has not to make another comment, but he refrains and waits for Jade to take Shiloh back. He gets the camera ready as Jade slowly descends into the water with their daughter, watching in anticipation to see how the baby responds.

As soon as Shiloh's little feet touch the surface of the water, she immediately pulls her legs up and clings to Jade as tight as she can. "Shhh," Jade whispers, "It's okay. You're okay." Once they're fully into the water in the shallow end, Beck starts snapping pictures.

"Hey," Beck says, "I think she likes it!" Shiloh kicks her legs around and uses her arms to accidentally splash Jade, who turns her head to avoid getting water in her eyes.

"No, no," she tells Shiloh, holding her arms still.

"Ooh!" Shiloh yells, kicking her legs harder. "Oooooh," she says as she looks at Jade through a smile.

Jade has to laugh at how happy her daughter is, and she even frees Shiloh's arm to let her splash. "You like the water, huh?" She asks. "Don't worry, though; you'll _never_ go in the ocean. There are scary, filthy animals called _dolphins_ that live there and I would never let you get anywhere near them."

Beck laughs at Jade's comments and takes a few more pictures before finally getting into the pool. "Shi," he says, holding his arms out, "come see Daddy." Jade carefully hands the baby to him and watches as he raises her up out of the water a few times. Shiloh makes loud, happy noises, so Jade is fine with it, and Beck gets a kick out of her smile.

"We should do this more often," he says as he looks over at Jade.

"Yeah, yeah," Jade says, moving over towards him. When she's close enough, she presses her lips against his and winks as she pulls back. "We'll see."

**Review, Review, Review! ;)**


	19. Under the Influence

**Author's Note: WARNING. This chapter contains major adult content! If you are not 16+ years old, this chapter might be too mature for you. That being said, this one kicks ass. Don't say I didn't warn you ;)**

Chapter Nineteen

_Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring-Riiiiiiiiing!_

The familiar sound of the Hollywood Arts bell is accompanied by Sikowitz's announcement that the class is dismissed. As Beck, who's carrying the car seat, and Jade begin walking hand-in-hand out the door, they hear Andre getting all riled up about something he's about to tell his friends.

"Alright," Andre says with a smile on his face, "my grandma's goin' out of town this weekend. Friday through Sunday—she'll be _gone_. You know what that means!"

"That your freak of a grandma is finally leaving her house without you?" Jade asks.

Andre opens his mouth to deny her comment, but quickly realizes that she's right. "Yeah," he admits. "But, more importantly, I'm throwin' a badass party at the house this Friday night. You guys down?"

Everyone seems excited at the idea and simultaneously speaks up about how fun it sounds—with the exception of Beck and Jade. "I don't think we can make it," Beck says. "We'd have to find a sitter, and I just don't think that's gonna happen with just a few days notice."

"Dammit," Andre replies disappointedly. Just as Cat suggests that they bring Shiloh to the party—at which Jade rolls her eyes dramatically—Sikowitz walks past them on his way to lunch. "Hey! Sikowitz!" Andre shouts, getting their teacher's attention.

"Hey, Harris!" He responds, whipping around to face the group of teenagers.

"Would you maybe be interested in doing a little bit of babysitting this Friday night?"

"_What_?!" Jade exclaims. "You're kidding, right?" She asks, facing Andre. "You really think I'd let this freakshow watch my child?"

"Jade," Beck interrupts.

"No, no," Sikowitz stops him. "I embrace the stereotype."

"It's not a stereotype; it's just what you are," Jade argues.

"Fair enough," he says with a smile on his face. "Well, I do have _quite_ the resume of a babysitter. My brothers leave my nieces and nephews with me often, and, let's face it, you're all just big babies that I sit for every day!"

"No," Jade still says.

"Jade, why don't you at least consider it?" Beck says, slightly hesitant.

"Consider _what_, Beck?" Jade protests angrily. "Are you seriously considering leaving our daughter with him?"

"Why not? He seems like he'd do the job," Beck answers. "And it's not as if she'd be awake; by the time we left for…" He thinks for a quick sentence and then decides to censor his comment from giving away the party, "…dinner, Shiloh'd be asleep."

"I'd love to help you kids out, but I've gotta run for lunch. Just let me know later today if I got the job!" the never-offended teacher says giddily before strolling towards the faculty lounge.

When he's gone and the six begin walking towards the Asphalt Café for their lunch period, Andre is the first one to speak again. "Jade, if you don't let Sikowitz watch Shiloh, you guys aren't gonna be able to come to the party at all—and that would blow."

"I think he'd do a good job. And it's like Beck said: she won't even be awake," Tori adds.

"Look, I don't need or want any of your opinions," Jade snaps. "Until you know what it feels like to have a kid and have people try to convince you to leave it with a crazy person, I don't want to hear it."

"When I was a baby, my mom used to leave me with a crazy person, and I turned out okay!" Cat informs them as they all take their seats at the usual table.

"There are just so many things wrong with that statement," Beck replies.

"Who did your parents leave you with?!" Robbie exclaims.

"My brother," Cat says innocently and as if it's the only obvious response.

"I rest my case," Jade mutters.

"I just really think we should consider it if we want to go to the party."

"Beck, we're not leaving her with Sikowitz."

"So you don't wanna go?"

Jade takes a deep breath and rolls her eyes instead of answering as she picks Shiloh up out of her car seat. When she sits the happy three-month-old in her lap, Jade pulls out the bottle and starts to feed her. By now, the guys are all used to seeing the baby and are able to eat their food like normal—but for Tori and Cat, it's a totally different story.

Every time Jade or Beck takes Shiloh out, the girls fawn over her like she's the only person in the world. Constantly complimenting how cute she is and how fast she's growing, Cat and Tori never seem to get over how precious their friends' daughter is.

By the time lunch is over, Beck has convinced Jade to let Shiloh stay with Sikowitz for the night and the baby is sound asleep in her car seat. The rest of the school day drags on, but the weekend is promising thanks to the imminent party. Little do any of them know that the night that lies ahead of them will be all they talk about for several days.

...

"I still can't believe we did that."

"Jade," Beck says, taking one hand off the wheel to put it lovingly on her thigh, "it's gonna be fine. Shiloh's _asleep_ and Sikowitz knows what he's doing… Besides, tonight will be awesome. I haven't had a drink in forever."

"I don't know if we should drink tonight."

"Well we don't have to get _drunk_," Beck adds, "but a few drinks aren't gonna kill us."

Jade sighs. "I _do_ miss vodka."

"Well tonight's your night, Babe. I'm really glad we're going."

Jade doesn't respond because her attention is taken by a text from her best friend. "Cat says she and Robbie just got there… God, that can't go well."

"What do you mean?"

"Beck, Shiloh'shad more alcohol than Cat and Robbie combined," Jade explains.

"Oh, God. Wait, are you sure? I could swear Cat was wasted that time she wore moon boots to school…" Beck recalls.

"Nope."

"Damn."

"Oh my god," Jade utters as Beck pulls onto Andre's street. "No way."

Beck slows down at the sight in front of the couple. Dozens of cars line both sides of the street and even round out both ends; there are at least a hundred people here, and Andre's house isn't that big. When he finally gets to the home, Beck pulls into the driveway so that they won't have to walk. Even with the windows rolled down, Beck and Jade can hear the booming music coming from inside.

"You ready?" Beck asks as he takes Jade's hand before they walk into the party.

"Let's do this," she responds as she pushes the door open.

Upon entering the house, they immediately recognize tons of faces from high schools all over Los Angeles. While it's mainly Hollywood Arts kids, there are some people from North Ridge and Sherwood, too. It isn't until they head to the kitchen that they see Tori, who's obviously already been drinking. She's mixing drinks and making shots for people, and Beck and Jade's timing is perfect; LMFAO's "Shots" begins blaring through the speakers.

"Hey, guys!" Tori says as she excitedly walks over to them. She throws her arms around Beck—partially for support—and Jade pushes her off of him almost immediately.

"Watch it, Vega," she warns.

"Sorry," she says sloppily, leaning back on the counter to hold herself up, "I'm a little tipsy."

"You're hammered," Jade corrects. "Just move so I can pour myself a drink." With that, she grabs the Bacardi and fills two shot glasses. Upon handing one to Beck, they clink them together and subsequently down them.

"Alright," Beck says, wiping his lip, "that's it for me. At least one of us has to be a little responsible," he teases.

"Are you kidding?" Jade responds. "We're fine. I don't get hangovers."

Beck laughs and kisses her. "We'll see about that. I'm gonna go take care of something real quick. You should find Cat and Robbie."

"Whatever," she says and takes another shot before walking into the living room to try to find her best friend in the sea of mostly drunk people.

Meanwhile, Beck heads outside and immediately finds Andre behind the DJ booth. "Ah," he says, patting him on the shoulder to get his attention, "so this is where the tunes are coming from."

"Hey, Beck!" Andre says, giving him guyish hug. "Did you guys just get here?"

"Yeah," Beck confirms. "Good turnout."

"I know, right? It's pretty sick."

"Hey, so the bedrooms all have locks, right?" Beck asks.

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Jade and I are probably staying the night, cause after what we just went through, there's no way in hell I'm driving us home after I drink. I wanna make sure we don't get stuck sleeping on the floor or something, cause Jade would freak."

"Oh, yeah," Andre says. "Check the top cabinet in the study; that's where my grandma keeps the lock keys I'm pretty sure."

"Alright, thanks, man."

/ / /

"Jaaaaaade!" Cat exclaims as she runs towards the brunette.

"Look who's drunk," Jade says as she helps her friend stand up straight. "How much have you had to drink, Cat?"

"Just two of those cup things," Cat squeals. "It was gross but Robbie and I did it together and then Tori gave me a cute little lime to suck on when I was finished!"

"So you've had two shots of tequila and you're already trashed? I'm jealous."

"This is the craziest feeling in the whole world, Jadey! I can't feel my legs or my lips!"

"Yeah, I bet," Jade comments, nodding her head and smiling sarcastically. "Alright, I'm too sober for this. Come with me," she says, pulling her wrist into the kitchen. When the girls walk in, Jade heads for the Svedka and dumps at least four shots into a red plastic cup. After mixing it with Sprite, she begins downing it.

"I want more, too! I want more!" Cat begs as she jumps up and down.

"Trust me, you're fine."

"Please, Jadey! Please?" She whines.

Jade doesn't want to be bothered anymore, so she pours a shot of Everclear into a cup and stirs orange juice into it to cover the taste. "Alright," she says as she hands the cup to Cat, "this is gonna fuck you up if you take it too fast, so just—"

Before Jade can stop her, Cat chugs the drink and giggles endlessly. "Oops!"

"Oh my god."

"Yaaaaaaay!" Cat rejoices as she jumps up and down a few times.

"Whatever. If you die tonight, it wasn't my fault."

"Hey! It's Robbie!" She slurs as both girls turn to see the curly-headed boy walking towards them.

"Well helloooo, ladies," he says, obviously having his confidence boosted by the alcohol.

"Boyfriend!" Cat squeals as she jumps into his arms and begins fiercely making out with him.

Jade rolls her eyes, but she can finally feel the alcohol taking its effect and her attention is taken by a group of people chanting in the living room. "What the…" she mutters as she makes her way over.

When she arrives, she pushes her way through to see Tori laying belly-up on the coffee table. What's more interesting than the ten drunk guys repeatedly yelling "sip" is the fact that Ryder Daniels is taking a body shot off of Tori's stomach. Jade immediately begins laughing at the sight of this, and Beck arrives behind her just in time to see what all of the commotion is about.

"Hey," he greets as he places his hand on Jade's lower back. When she looks at him, they kiss each other before turning their attention to Ryder and Tori.

"God…" Beck mutters. "I'm guessing Andre hasn't seen this."

"You should go get him," Jade suggests.

"Nah," he says. "Tori's just shit-faced. Everyone's drunk, and he'd get pissed and start a huge thing."

"I like huge things," Jade reminds him with a sly look.

Beck laughs and kisses her again. "I know you do."

"Looks like Tori's not the only Vega sister that'll be regretting something tomorrow," Jade says through a malicious grin, directing Beck's attention to the corner of the room. Trina, who's clearly drunk off her ass, is all over Sinjin as she gives the seated boy a lap dance while kissing him.

"Holy hell," Beck says as he shakes his head. "Shit's gonna go down."

"That's why I came," Jade says teasingly and finishes off her drink.

"How much alcohol was in that cup?"

"I dunno," she answers. "A few shots."

"How many is a few?" He questions through a smile.

"Four or five. Can't you _taste_ it?" She asks as she kisses him, this time making sure their mouths were open so he could take in the flavor of the alcohol.

He grins as they pull away. "Maybe I'll have a couple, too."

/ / /

After an hour and a half, it's safe to say that everyone at Andre's house is completely wasted. The number of teenagers has to escalated to about three hundred. People are drinking, dancing, smoking, making out, and passing out—and the music never stops. Most people have moved outside to do all of these activities, but there are still tons inside. Andre, who's probably too drunk to be hosting a party, is still deejaying the tunes.

Beck, Jade, Cat, and Robbie—who have all had more to drink—are all dancing wildly outside in the middle of the enormous crowd. It isn't until Cat tumbles backwards and accidentally hits a couple that's mid-kiss that the four of them spot a problem. As Beck helps the redhead back on her feet, he sees that the couple who'd been interrupted—but hasn't stopped making out—is Ryder and Tori.

"Oh, shit," Beck says as he looks up at Andre to make sure he hasn't seen what his girlfriend is doing. When he notices that his friend is gone, he immediately turns back to pull Ryder off of Tori. Before he can, though, he watches Andre rip through people and yank the guy away from Tori. Ryder reacts instantly, punching him square in the face and starting the fight.

"Woah!" Beck yells as he tries to break the two apart. It becomes an ordeal as people everywhere begin shouting, cheering, and attempting to egg the boys on. Beck tries not to get hit as he ducks from swings and tries to push Ryder away from Andre. Just as he takes Ryder out with a big punch, Beck turns around to see a stunned Tori and he forces his arms out to catch her as she blacks out.

"I got her," Andre says as he wipes the blood from his nose.

"No, you need to ice your eye and take care of that nose," Beck instructs.

"Robbie'll get me some ice," he replies. At the sound of his words, Robbie stumbles away to do the favor. While they wait for him to get back, Beck checks Tori's pulse to make sure she's still breathing.

"We just need to get her to lie down," he says as Robbie returns. "Ice your face and help me carry her inside. Cat," he says, turning towards the girl, "where'd Jade go?"

"My tongue feels like a furry suitcase," she slurs giddily.

"Shit. Come on," he says, facing Andre, "we've got to get her inside so I can find Jade." At that, the guys carry Tori into the house together and take her into Andre's room. After they set her on the bed and put a cool rag on her forehead, Andre thanks Beck as he exits the bedroom.

"Jade?" Beck calls through the hallways in search of his fiancé. As he opens doors, he sees people hooking up in almost every room—including Sinjin and Trina.

At the last bathroom, he finds Jade sitting on the floor. Her hair is all in her face and her head is resting on the toilet. "Jade," he breathes as he closes the door and rushes over to her. "It's okay, I'm here," he says, squeezing her hand. When he pulls a black rubber band off of her wrist and puts her hair up—something he's done quite a few times—he sees the vomit that's already in the toilet.

"I feel sick," she mutters weakly. "I think I'm gonna—" Before she can finish her statement, she begins throwing up all over again.

"It's okay, I got you," Beck encourages as he rubs her back. "It's like you're pregnant all over again," he says through a chuckle. At the sound of his words, Jade gags again and throws up more of her beverages from the night. When he thinks she's done, Beck takes a paper cup from the dispenser in the bathroom and fills it with water. After he hands it to her and helps her drink it, he takes her hand and kisses it.

"I feel like shit," she grumbles.

"I know. Everything will be okay tomorrow. You don't get hangovers, remember?" He reminds her with a smile, knowing that she'll _definitely _have one tomorrow.

"Fuck off," she whispers, which only makes him laugh.

"C'mon, Babe. Let's get you to bed," he says.

"I'm not moving."

"You don't have to." Beck, who should win an award for his caring nature, gently scoops Jade's body up into his arms. As soon as she's secured, she slowly wraps her arms around his neck for support and leans her head against his chest. He uses his elbow to open the door and makes his way to the guest bedroom, which he'd locked earlier. A glance down the hallway lets Beck know that the party has calmed down; the music has been turned off and people are passing out anywhere and everywhere… on the couch, on the floor, and even outside.

After unlocking the door and flipping on a lamplight, he lays Jade on the bed. "I'm gonna take your shirt off, okay Babe? It's covered in vomit." She barely nods her head, but that's enough of an okay for Beck. He carefully pulls her top off and subsequently takes his own tee off to put it on her. Once she's comfortable, he helps her lay down.

"Where are you going?" She mutters without opening her eyes.

He pauses and flips off the light. "Nowhere," he says sweetly and gets onto the bed with her. As soon as she feels his body next to hers, she cuddles up next to him and clings to the tank that'd been under his shirt.

"I love you," she murmurs quietly.

He raises his eyebrows at the rare confession and kisses her forehead. Maybe drunk Jade isn't all that bad.

"I love you too, Babe."

**Click Review. Just do it.**


	20. Working Together

**Author's Note: I can't even say how sorry I am. I know that this chapter took way longer than any others yet and it's just because I've been totally swamped with stuff to do! This chapter has been dragged out for **_**forever**_**, but Chapter 21 is already in the works and it's gonna be quite entertaining! Love you guys and thanks for always supporting me!**

Chapter Twenty

"Goooood morning, class! Well…half-class…"

As Sikowitz's booming voice makes everyone wish they'd stayed home on this dreadful Monday, all of the present students look around to see that they're missing almost half of their classmates. It's no surprise that it's taken all weekend—and apparently an extra day—for people to recover from the events of Friday night. Though most people had the time of their lives, there'd certainly been an unprecedented amount of drama.

Things had turned out well for Beck and Jade, because thankfully HE hadn't been too hungover to drive them to Sikowitz's place and pick up Shiloh. As expected, their daughter was perfectly fine and Sikowitz remained blissfully ignorant about the party. Jade's had a raging headache for the past two days—the huge amount of alcohol she'd had after not having any for almost a year has taken her back to hangovers—but she's powering through the pain because she knows she has to for Shiloh.

Cat and Robbie recall nothing from Friday night; both lightweights had gone way overboard and people are even guessing that Cat's still drunk. As crazy as it is for the two of them, though, there's no question that they're better off than some of their friends.

"Please... Please can we just talk about it?"

"I've told you a hundred times: it's fine. I don't wanna talk about it."

"But—"

"I'm _not_," Andre corrects himself, "gonna talk about it."

Tori sinks back into her seat, clearly distressed. Although she and Andre hadn't broken up over the incident Friday night, there's an obvious strain in their relationship. He knows that Ryder had completely taken advantage of Tori and that the kissing hadn't exactly been her fault, but he's naturally still angry about the whole situation.

"Um, Sikowitz?" Cat says softer than usual.

"Yes, Cat?" He answers, loud as ever.

"Could you please maybe just... talk a tiny bit quieter today? My head hurts."

"Uh," Sikowitz mutters, perplexed by the question, "I suppose I could do that. However, I can't talk _too_ quietly because today is a very important day!"

Everyone's body language shows clear dissent, but it's Jade's audible groan that makes it obvious to the teacher that no one cares about what he's about to say. In true fashion, however, he continues anyways. "Today, I am assigning you all a group project! You will work in teams of six to make a short film that must include a love affair of some sort and a special twist! The group with the best twist—based on my judgments, of course, will get ten bonus points. You will do all of the work on the project—writing, directing, filming, editing, and starring—so you'll need to split up the tasks evenly among your group members. The films will be shown in class on Friday. You can now divide yourselves up and begin working!"

"Okay, guys," Beck says once the usual six of them group up, "let's start thinking. Since I'm pretty sure no one's in the mood to think of a plot right now, we can just assign roles. How about…" he starts, looking at each of them to think. "Jade, you write the script. Andre can mix the sound effects, Robbie'll film and edit, and Tori, Cat, and I will act."

"I think you're forgetting the required plot," Jade says in an annoyed tone as she rocks the car seat on the floor back and forth to keep Shiloh happy.

"It's an acting class," Beck reminds her with full knowledge that Jade hates the idea of him acting out any kind of romance with Cat or especially Tori. "All of us are in relationships… I don't think it should be much of an issue."

"No one's kissin'," Andre adds firmly, which causes Tori to sigh.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Beck responds.

"We can meet at my house tonight to brainstorm," Tori offers. "My parents are going out and Trina's with our cousins in San Francisco for the week, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

"Why is she missing school?" Cat asks.

"You're probably the only person in Los Angeles that hasn't seen the pictures," Jade answers.

"What pictures?" Robbie adds innocently, to which Jade rolls her eyes and lets someone else answer.

"Some pics got out of Trina and Sinjin at the party, and… they weren't too good. They've ended up on everyone's phones and all over The Slap," Andre informs them.

"So," Tori finishes, "she decided to leave instead of dealing with it like a mature adult. She'll be back next week, though."

"Okay," Beck agrees, "does six o'clock work for everyone? Jade and I will have to bring Shiloh, obviously, but that's probably the best time for us." When everyone nods their heads in agreement, they resume normal conversation for the remainder of the class period until the bell rings for lunch.

…

_Diiiing-Dong!_

At the sound of her doorbell, Tori opens the door to welcome in the last of the group members to arrive—Beck and Jade. They're only about ten minutes late, which is easily excused because of the fact that they have a three-month-old baby. Although Beck is carrying the car seat, Jade is holding their happy daughter. The baby is laying on Jade's chest and emitting little noises as her mother pats her back softly to keep her appeased. As soon as the couple enters the living room, the mood shifts because the Tori and Cat immediately approach Jade to see the baby.

"How is it possible that she gets cuter every time I see her?" Tori asks as she stares lovingly at the smiley little girl. Jade almost turns around so that Tori can't see her, simply out of spite, but the idea is interrupted by Andre suggesting that they get started.

When Beck and Jade take their seats on the couch, he swings his arm around her protectively like he usually does and tries not to let Shiloh's cuteness distract him too much. "So," Jade starts, assuming her role as the script writer, "here's how it's gonna go: Beck and Cat are going to play a couple in love. Their life is going obnoxiously well until she finds out that he's been secretly seeing another girl, played by Tori."

"That's ironic," Andre mutters unsettlingly.

"Yes, well," Jade answers, "we all know Vega can rock the home-wrecker role."

Tori's jaw drops open as Beck blinks slowly to avoid seeing the aftermath. Although the comment was stunningly blunt, anyone would be a fool to speak up in disagreement.

"Let's just get back to the plot," Robbie begs. Tori crosses her arms and desperately hopes that her cheeks aren't flushing too much as Jade smiles smugly.

"_Anyways_," Jade furthers, "Cat's character is gonna leave Beck upon finding out, and he'll move on with his life with Tori. About a year later, he goes back to see her because he realizes that he's still in love with her. And then I figure she'll be dead or married or something like that for our twist… That's as far as I got before my child spit up all over me."

Cat giggles until Jade glares at her. "I think it's perfect," Beck says as he rubs her arm sweetly. "We just need to come up with a twist… anyone have any ideas?"

Everyone is silent for almost a minute before Robbie speaks up. "I have one!" When they all look at him to say it, he continues excitedly. "What if when he came back to see her, he found out that they had a kid together? I saw a show like that one time and it was pretty intense. He had to beg her to take him back so that he could be in his son's life. We could…do something like that."

Beck and Andre raise their eyebrows and nod their heads in agreement, but they're both distracted by Tori's next words. "Oh my god, perfect." When everyone looks at the girl, they see that her eyes are focused on Shiloh. Jade follows everyone's orbs and, when she notices what Tori's implying, furrows her eyebrows.

"Are you saying you want to use my daughter for this project?" She asks accusingly, obviously upset.

"Well, obviously not if you're not okay with it—"

"I'm not," Jade snaps back. "She's not some kind of animal that you can just play around with. And I don't want her in a movie that the entire class is going to be seeing."

"Technically, the whole class has already seen her," Andre offers.

Jade rolls her eyes and turns her head to face her fiancé. "Beck, would you please tell them that we're not using our _baby_ to get a good grade on some stupid project?" She asks in a tone that indicates she knows what his answer should be.

"Well, I'm not agreeing with them," he prefaces slowly, careful not to upset Jade, "but—"

"Oh my god," Jade interrupts.

"Just hear me out," he says calmly, continuing to rub her arm. "Shiloh wouldn't have to do anything except sit in Cat's arms. It'd only be for a couple of takes, and the baby idea would definitely be original. Not that this necessarily matters…but I think we'd definitely get a good grade. After all of the classes and assignments we've missed, we could really use an A."

"Then use a doll," she retorts.

"You know it's not the same."

Jade sighs dramatically and looks down at Shiloh. "Only Cat will hold her," she says, turning her head up to see her best friend.

"Yaaaaaay!" The redhead exclaims. "I miss holding her. You never let me hold her anymore," she says in her disappointed voice that somehow—in five years of friendship—has never failed to make Jade feel bad.

"She likes me; that's all," Jade explains, her voice surprisingly sympathetic.

"I know. But doesn't she like me, too?"

Jade pauses. "Yeah. Otherwise I wouldn't let you hold her."

This makes Cat smile giddily, and it takes everything Jade has to get her next words out. "Here," she says, standing up to walk over to Cat, "you can hold her. I bet she misses you."

Cat's mouth opens wide in a happy gasp in response to Jade's action, and she excitedly holds out her arms to take the baby. Beck can't help but smile at his girl when she sits back down next to him and warms her body against his. His kisses her cheek unexpectedly—one of her favorite things that he does—and, in response, she turns her head to kiss his lips sweetly.

"Alright," Andre says as he puts his hand together and stands up, "I guess we should get started on the storyboard and the music and all that." At the sound of his suggestion, they all get to work. Although there's still some obvious tension between Andre and Tori, the group is able to get a lot of work done.

By Wednesday, much of the drama has died down and they're ready to film. Since Jade has written the script and her only job is to play director, she is happy to get to hold Shiloh while she does it all. As she bounces the baby in her arms, she watches to make sure that everyone knows what they're doing while they film. Although she has to walk outside twice because she's afraid Shiloh's sounds will interrupt the take, the baby is rather well-behaved. When it's finally time for Cat to hold Shi, Jade hands her over and hopes that she doesn't cry. Within fifteen minutes, the scenes are done—as is the filming—and the group celebrates by eating some of the ice cream out of Tori's fridge.

When Beck and Jade get back to their apartment, they put Shiloh to bed and sit on the couch in the living room together.

"So," Beck starts, "Kara called earlier."

Jade raises her eyebrows in curiosity. Beck's sister isn't too intolerable; in fact, she'd always been nice to Jade on the few occasions that they'd met. She's never really been around too much, though, because she's six years older than them and she moved with her husband to New York three years ago.

"She's having a baby shower two Saturdays from now and she wants us to go."

"For herself?"

"Well, my mom's technically the one planning it, I guess. But yeah; Kara's pregnant."

Jade takes a few seconds to process this. "She wants us to go or _you_ to go?"

"_Us_," he answers confidently. "She hasn't seen Shiloh since she was born, so she really wants us to bring her. She even suggested that you could give her a few tips on being a mom."

"Like she needs them. Didn't she like, marry a millionaire, or something? I'm sure they can afford to buy all the parenting books in the world," Jade says coolly.

"Not the point," Beck responds, setting his hand gently on her thigh. "She wants to see you. And besides, you're a great mom. I know you've got at least a few hints."

"Is it here in LA?"

Beck pauses for a few moments. "No."

Jade narrows her eyes, so he quickly continues.

"My mom got us three tickets to New York… one for you, one for me, and one so that we can take the car seat on to put Shi in."

"You're insane."

"Jade, come on. I know it'd be a little much, but—"

"A little much? Beck, you're telling me you want to get on a six hour flight with a three-month-old that will most likely scream and cry the whole time?"

"Technically, she'd be _four_ months old by the time we went."

"You've lost your mind. There is no way I'm gonna be _that_ mom who everyone hates because she brings her baby onto a plane. I always wanted to kill them."

"The babies or the moms?"

Jade rolls her eyes but doesn't answer.

"Please? It'd be so fun! Think about it: a free trip to New York. It's your favorite city—don't deny it."

Jade folds her arms as she muses the thought for at least a minute. "I guess we can go."

Beck kisses her for a few seconds and pulls back with a smile. "Perfect."

**Author's Note: Okay, so I know this was a little dull, but I had a cute idea and wanted to write in the other characters before doing a Bade-only chapter. Stay tuned, though, because next up—Beck and Jade hit NYC!**


	21. Manhattan: Part One

**Author's Note: Hi everyone :) I just wanted to say thanks for all of your support. Every review means the world to me! Incidentally, I decided to split this storyline into two chapters, so this is just part one. Let me know what you think!**

Chapter Twenty-One

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Be—_

Before it can make any more noise, Jade slams her hand against the snooze button and groans as she flicks her eyes open to look at the alarm clock.

"What time is it?" Beck mutters, his lips muffled against the pillow.

"Four-thirty. Our flight's at seven. We have to get up," she says tiredly as she rolls over and out of their bed. Jade quietly heads straight into the kitchen to make their coffee, careful not to make too many noises so that she won't wake her daughter. Shiloh typically sleeps until around six o'clock in the morning, so Beck and Jade had planned on getting her up at the last possible minute before they had to leave for the airport.

When she comes back into the bedroom, Beck is sitting up and rubbing his eyes of exhaustion. When Shiloh had started crying around two in the morning, he had let Jade sleep while he sat with the baby for almost an hour before she fell back asleep. After she sets his coffee on the nightstand, she crawls back onto the bed towards him and plants a kiss on his lips. "Thank you for last night," she whispers.

Beck raises his eyebrows as a cute smile appears on his face. "Did I just get a _thank you_ from Jade West?"

"Oh, _please_. I'm just being nice because I know that by the end of the day I'll be a total bitch."

Beck laughs quietly. "I think I can excuse it after eight hours of travel and a time change."

"Yeah, well. Just prepare yourself."

"Are you kidding? I was _born_ prepared to handle Feisty Jade."

"This isn't gonna be Feisty Jade. I'm talking full-fledge _Bitch Jade_."

"You don't scare me," he says through his charming grin before leaning forward to kiss her. This time, though, he ends up pulling her fully back onto the bed with him.

"Beck," she squeals through a whisper, not effectively stopping him—or wanting to stop him—in any way. After they kiss for a few more minutes, they realize it's finally time to face reality and get ready for the long day ahead of them.

When forty-five minutes has passed, Beck and Jade are both dressed; the diaper bag is fully stocked; the suitcases are by the door; their boarding tickets are printed, and it's finally time to get their daughter up. While Beck puts coffee in to-go mugs for the both of them, Jade heads back into the bedroom. She contemplates actually trying to get Shiloh dressed because she's still in her pajamas, but decides that it'd be better to simply not have to wake the baby up at all. Still, though, Jade hates what her daughter is dressed in. This is the first time she's worn pink, and it's only because Cat had gotten Shiloh these pajamas with flowers all over them and—since all of Shi's PJ's were either dirty or packed for the weekend—this had been the only option last night.

When Jade gets her still sleeping daughter into the car seat, she decides that it'd been worth it not to have to wake her up and carefully folds the baby's blanket over her to keep her warm. By the time the couple is ready to go, Andre has Beck's car pulled out from the lot outside and is ready to drive them to the airport. Thus begins one of the longest days of their lives.

….

"Attention, passengers. At this time, all electronic devices need to be shut off, as we will be taking off shortly. Thank you."

As Beck pulls the headphone out of his ear, he reaches for Jade's hand and holds onto it in his naturally protective way. He can tell that she's nervous about flying with Shiloh, who's sitting contently in her car seat by the window. "It's gonna be fine," he says as he squeezes her hand. "Look at how happy she is."

Jade looks back to Shiloh, who has her tiny hands wrapped around Jade's fingers as she nibbles on them softly. When she notices that both of her parents are staring at her, she immediately smiles and makes a sweet baby noise.

"Yeah, I hope you're happy, Baby Girl," Jade says, "cause you're gonna be sittin' in that for a _loooong_ time."

"Well we've only got four hours until we stop in Chicago," Beck comments. "But yeah, we shouldn't have to get her out unless she cries." Just as he finishes his sentence, the plane begins to start down the runway and the loud noises obviously upset the baby.

"No, no," Jade says as she watches Shiloh's face turn to one that indicates she's about to cry. "It's okay," she coos, rubbing the baby's tummy. It's too late, though, and Shiloh begins to whimper as the airplane ascends into the air. Thankfully, the noise from the plane's pressure prevents anyone from hearing the baby's rather quiet cries, but Jade knows that that won't be the case if the cries turn to screams.

"Well, that didn't last long," Beck observes as he watches Jade pull Shiloh out of her car seat. As expected, the baby settles down once she's in Jade's arms. Beck can't stop himself from smiling when he sees how joyous his daughter becomes when Jade holds her.

"You're killing me, kid," Jade says to Shiloh. "All Mommy wanted to do was sleep."

"I'll take her, Babe," Beck offers.

"I'm fine," she answers.

"Hey," Beck says, "so I know we haven't really talked too much about it, but have you thought at all about the wedding?"

"Do you…_want_ a wedding?" Jade asks.

"I mean, I don't think either one of us wants a big thing, but I think it'd be nice to have a small ceremony with just our closest friends and family. I'm happy with doing whatever you what to do, though."

"I guess so. But if you think you're gonna see me in a white dress, you're sadly mistaken."

"Whatever," he says with a smile. "You look good in anything." He pecks her lips and then looks at Shiloh, who's babbling all kinds of nonsense. "I think someone is happy to be wearing her pink pajamas for the first time," he teases as he tickles the baby.

"Oh, God," Jade scoffs, making a gagging motion. "You know the only reason she's wearing them is because—"

"I know, I know. Because you didn't wanna wake her up," he finishes for her. "But it doesn't mean they're not cute," Beck says with a chuckle. "Shiloh, come see Daddy," he coos as he holds out his hands hoping that his daughter will turn towards him. As he wraps his hands around her belly to take her, she immediately wiggles and lets out a whining sound.

"Ooh," Jade says through a huge smile. "Look at that; someone likes her mama better!" She pulls the four-month-old towards her and kisses her cheek sweetly, much to the baby's delight.

Beck shakes his head in disbelief. "I cannot believe that that just happened."

"You jealous, Oliver?" Jade asks playfully, relishing in their daughter's action as the baby grips her long hair tightly.

"She's never turned away from me before!"

"Don't be sad," she says coyly, "at least you're _second_ best."

He shakes his head again and a smile appears on his face. "Unbelievable."

Jade actually lets out a laugh and looks back at Shiloh, who is—with Jade's help and support, of course—standing on her mom's legs. "Do you love your mama?" She asks rhetorically in a baby-directed voice. "Can you say _ma-ma_? Ma-ma-ma-ma," Jade reiterates, hoping that Shiloh will repeat after her. She's been repeating the word for a couple of weeks now (only in front of Beck) because the doctor had told them that Shiloh was around the age where babies can mumble their first words. The baby simply giggles, though, and Beck feels like he's never been more in love with Jade in his entire life.

After a little over an hour, they're over a third of the way through the flight and it's time for Shiloh's bottle. Jade had pumped bottles last night so that she wouldn't have to breastfeed on the plane, and Beck—who's been napping for the past hour—happily takes the duty of giving Shiloh her bottle so that Jade can sleep for a while. Feeding the baby her bottle isn't the easiest thing, but she finishes it soon enough and Beck begins to burp her. He only pats her little back a couple of times before she spits up all over his and Jade's laps.

"Oh my God," Beck mutters as he reaches for the diaper bag to grab a cloth. As he leans over, Shiloh starts to whine and, before he can do anything, spits up again. At this point, Jade wakes up from her nap to find spit-up all over her jeans.

"Oh my God."

"I know," Beck responds, beginning to wipe it up. "I'm so sorry, Babe. I was burping her, and-"

"Just clean her up," she directs. "What happened?"

"Nothing; I was just burping her and then—" Beck is interrupted by Shiloh spitting up again, but this time the baby burst into tears.

"This is _not_ happening," Jade says furiously to herself. As she bends down to get more cloths, she notices that the awful smell of baby vomit is beginning to disperse. "Oh, God," she mutters as she tries not to breathe in through her nose. "Here, give her to me. You clean up the spit up and see if you can get it not to smell." Beck obeys and hands the crying baby to her mother. As Jade takes Shiloh into her arms, she can see that people are starting to both stare and plug their noses.

Jade does her best to appease the baby girl by rocking her and shushing her cries, but the pressure and noise from the plane are working against her. She tries to give Shi the pacifier, but she refuses and spits it out immediately.

"How do we make her stop when we don't even know what's wrong?" Beck asks desperately as he stuffs the dirty rags into a plastic bag the flight attendant had given him.

"Her ears probably hurt from the pressure," Jade explains in a frustrated tone. "If I knew how to make her stop I would've done it already."

Beck sighs and pulls a few toys out of the diaper bag. "Shiloh," he coos over her cries, "look. Look!" He shakes the toys around, but she doesn't want either of them and her screams only get louder. "Okay…" he says, trying not to get discouraged, "what about _this_?" He asks, pulling his pearphone out of his phone. She's still crying, but she stares at it intently as Jade continues to bounce her up and down.

"What is _that_?" Jade, somehow using her sweet baby voice, asks into Shiloh's ear. "Do you want to play with Daddy's phone?" As she speaks, Beck taps the power button to make the phone light up. Immediately upon seeing the glow, Shiloh reaches for it and—once it's in her little hand—puts it in her mouth. Finally, the crying has stopped and Beck and Jade both take a deep breath in. It still smells like spit-up, and their clothes are temporarily stained with Shi's vomit. Unfortunately, they won't be able to access their suitcases to get clean ones; they'll have to figure something out at the airport.

Thankfully, after a few more hours, they hear the voice of the flight attendant welcoming them to Chicago. They have a two-hour layover at the O'Hare airport, but they're one two-hour flight away from being in New York. By the time they get off of the plane, Beck and Jade are exhausted. Shiloh didn't sleep until the thirty minutes of the flight, and then she'd been woken up again by the sound of the plane landing.

As they're walking to the bathroom to clean up, they pass a souvenir store with all kinds of Chicago memorabilia. "Wait," Beck says as Jade continues walking. "I want a new shirt."

Jade glares at him. "You're kidding, right?"

"Babe, we _smell_. I may not be able to do anything about my jeans except wash 'em with water in the bathroom, but I can at least change my shirt."

Jade can't believe what they're considering, but after lifting up her shirt to smell herself, she reluctantly allows him to drag her into the tacky tourist store. Five minutes and at least ten arguments later, the couple leaves the shop with some gum and two black t-shirts that say "I Heart Chicago." Although Jade is horrified with the selection, it'd been the only black shirt and she wasn't about to wear anything else.

When she gets to the bathroom, she sets Shiloh on a child-care counter and begins to change her clothes (of which, because of past experiences, she always carries an extra pair). After they're both in new clothes and rid of the vomit smell, Jade carries Shiloh back out to meet Beck. Since it's lunchtime, they head to a Chili's inside their terminal and get a table for two with a high chair.

"Well," Beck says once the waiter leaves from taking their order, "that definitely could have been worse."

Jade flickers her eyes up at him. "We just pissed at least twenty people off with a screaming baby, our jeans smell like vomit, and we're wearing _matching_, _disgusting_ shirts. Tell me, Beck, please, how this could be worse," she says sardonically.

Beck shrugs his shoulders. "At least she's happy now," he offers as he turns his head to look at Shiloh, who's sitting in the high chair chewing on her stuffed giraffe toy. As he finishes speaking, their attention is taken by an announcement throughout the terminal.

"Attention all passengers: Due to unfortunate weather conditions in New York, Flight 603 to New York City has been delayed until five o'clock. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you."

A quick glance at her watch tells Jade that they'll now be stuck at the airport for four hours. "Are you kidding me?!" She exclaims to no one in particular before letting her face fall into her hands. She feels Beck's hand rub her arm, but she simply shakes her head. "I don't know why I let you talk me into this."

"I'm sorry, Babe. I'm so sorry. I know today has been exhausting, but it's gonna be okay. We're together, and after this layover, we've just got one two-hour flight before we're in New York."

"Joy."

"I don't think this one will be as bad, really. And if it is… we'll bring bags and paper towels to clean everything up with. I'm pretty sure she got it all out of her system, though."

…

"Please, Shiloh, _please_ stop crying."

As Jade bounces the screaming baby girl up and down in her arms, it's all she can do to not just give up and let her cry. She and Beck have been taking turns trying to make her stop, but nothing has been successful. All three of them are terribly exhausted, and Beck and Jade are going crazy from hearing so much crying in such a small, contained space.

They still have an hour before they land in New York, and Shiloh hasn't had her late afternoon bottle yet because they hadn't packed that many. They had planned on being in Manhattan in time for Jade to nurse Shiloh, but the flight's delay had completely screwed that up.

"Jade," Beck says lightly, rubbing his head to alleviate the pounding in it, "I know you don't want to do this, but have you thought about just feeding her now?"

"What are you talking about?" She snaps.

"I mean, if it's the only way to get her to stop crying, I think we—well, you—should just breastfeed her."

"We're on an airplane, Beck. I'm not whipping my boobs out in front of all of these people."

"We could just put a blanket over you. Isn't it worth a shot if it'll get her to stop?"

Jade bites her bottom lip as she mulls over the idea. When she discovers that she can't even hear herself think because Shiloh's screaming is so loud, though, she hands the baby to Beck and grabs a blanket out of the diaper bag.

Within two minutes, she's got her daughter in nursing position and hopes that it's successful. "Come on, Shi," she begs desperately just before her daughter latches on. For the first time in twenty minutes, it's silent. Beck and Jade each take a deep breath as the exhaustion sinks in.

Beck leans over wearily and kisses Jade's temple. "Good job," he whispers. She's too tired to respond, but she leans her head on his shoulder and nuzzles into his neck.

After what's seemed like at least three days, the family arrives at The Grand Hyatt, the hotel they're staying in for the weekend. The bellhops take them and their bags to the room Mrs. Oliver had reserved for them, and immediate feelings of relief wash over them as they enter.

"Thank God," Beck mutters as he falls onto the king-sized bed. "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life."

"Cute," Jade says sarcastically. Shiloh, who's sitting happily on Jade's hip, is playing with her mother's hair. "I mean, I can bathe her by myself if you want."

Beck wisely senses his fiancé's tone and hops up from the bed. He kisses her cheek and takes the baby from her. "Not a chance," he says through a tired smile.

As Beck undresses the baby and prepares her for the bath, Jade sets up the miniature bath seat that they used to wash Shiloh. The baby can hold her own head up, but the seat supports her back so that she can sit in it. Once Beck places her in it, the couple begins pouring the warm water on her to get the bath over with as soon as possible. The happy four-month-old, who doesn't mind baths at all, is babbling to herself in typical baby language. While her parents usually respond by talking back to her, their worn out selves are only murmuring a few things here or there tonight.

Suddenly, though, something causes Beck and Jade to freeze in their tracks. Paralyzed, they both quickly stare at each other and then look back to their daughter.

"Ma-Ma," she utters again, looking straight at Jade.

Jade forces herself to breathe as nods her head vigorously at her daughter. "Yes! Yes!" She can't help but grin as she leans forward to kiss all over Shiloh's little cheeks. "Say it again, Shi! Ma-Ma," she reiterates.

"Ma-Ma!" Shiloh shrieks, splashing water all over Jade's shirt and face. "Ma-Ma!"

Before Jade even knows it's happening, her eyes are welling up with the happiest tears she's ever felt in her entire life. She's smiling from ear to ear as she listens to her daughter repeat the word she never thought she'd be so happy to hear. Once she's heard it, though, she's sure it's the best thing she's ever heard in her life. Without her even noticing, Beck had gotten up to grab the camera; upon quickly arriving back, he flips it to video mode and zooms in on Shiloh.

"Shiloh!" He encourages, "Say it again! Who's that?" he asks, using one finger to point to Jade.

"Ma-Ma!" She exclaims on cue, giggling at all of the surrounding excitement.

Beck and Jade beam with pride as their daughter turns their day from hell into one of the best of their lives. Never has either one of them even _dreamed_ of being this happy about something—especially Jade—but the momentous event will most definitely remain in their memories forever.

"I love you so much," Jade says to Shiloh as she kisses her cheek again. "Mama loves you so, so much."

"Ma-Ma!" Shiloh says yet again through a smile that takes up her face. "Ma-Ma!"

** :)**


	22. Manhattan: Part Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Mam! Ma-ma-mam…"

It doesn't get old. As Jade lies her daughter on the hotel bed to dress her for the day, her heart skips a beat every single time the baby utters the word. Beck is getting ready in the bathroom, but the door is open and he can, of course, hear Shiloh's babbling.

"What about Da-Da?" He asks as he sets his toothbrush down and walks over to the bed.

"No, Beck," Jade corrects. "It's just Mama for now."

"You just only want her to say _your _name," he teases.

"Well maybe that's all she wants to say," Jade disputes as she slides the baby's little shoes on. Beck smiles and watches his fiancé pick Shiloh up off of the bed and carry her to the bathroom. Jade grabs a crochet headband out of her bag and pulls it onto her daughter. Shiloh's used to wearing the soft pieces by now; Jade thinks she looks adorable in them so she was one of almost every color. She organizes the baby's brown hair around it and, once she's sure Shiloh is comfortable, hands her to Beck so that she can get herself ready.

"Wow, Babe. She looks so cute!" Beck says before kissing his daughter's cheek. He's right; Shiloh is sure to attract everyone's attention at the shower. Her gray dress is complimented by the little yellow buttons on the chest, and the yellow leggings and headband complete the color scheme. For someone whose closet is ninety percent black, Jade has done a marvelous job so far with giving Shiloh a variety of looks.

Jade slips on a dark-minty green dress and, after adding her classic black jewelry and some boots, she takes the baby from Beck. He grabs the gift that they'd gotten Kara and before long they're hailing a taxi-cab.

Beck pays the driver to take them to Mariposa, the high-end lunchroom that Mrs. Oliver had rented out for the shower. It's a short ride, and the couple arrives within ten minutes. they get out of the cab, Beck notices that Jade is nervous because she has barely talked at all.

"Hey," he says before simultaneously kissing her on the cheek and grabbing her free hand, "everything's gonna be great."

"Your family hates me," she counters plainly.

"They don't hate you; they just don't know you."

"Oh, that's total bullsh—" Jade stops herself, reminding herself of presence of the baby in her arms. "Bull. And you know it."

"They haven't seen you with Shiloh since her birth!"

"So?"

Beck is about to tell her how much she's grown in her sensitivity since becoming a mother, but he fears the backlash she'd give him and rephrases his words quickly in his head. "I promise they're going to like you," he reassures her, hoping that he's right.

Jade rolls her eyes but doesn't let go of his hand as he leads her inside. She does her best to concentrate on her daughter—who is gripping Jade's necklace in her tiny hand and even trying to put it in her mouth—but she can't help the butterflies she feels in her stomach.

When they walk inside, the elegant room is decorated beautifully with white and pink accents. Jade won't ever admit the twinge of jealousy she feels that she never had anything like this, but she kisses Shiloh's cheek to remind herself that, in the end, she still won.

"I wonder what she's having," Jade mutters sarcastically. Beck smiles, but just as he's about to respond, he sees the woman walking towards him.

"Beck!" She exclaims, quickly moving towards him. When she reaches where they're standing, she wraps her son in a loving hug. "I'm so glad that you could make it!" As she pulls back, she immediately notices who he's with.

"Jade," she says sympathetically, the smile not leaving her face. "Oh, darling, you look beautiful." Jade manages to smile at the woman—her child's grandmother—and watches as Naomi's eyes fall on the four-month-old beauty sitting in her arms.

Her breath is obviously taken away as she reaches out to touch Shiloh. "My goodness, you've gotten so big!" She expresses, gently squeezing the baby's hand. "She's beautiful," she concludes, looking back at Beck and Jade. "Absolutely stunning, much like her mother."

It takes all that Jade has not to roll her eyes, but she's gotten good at restraining herself. She remembers how important it is for her to make a newly good impression, and somehow it doesn't seem as hard as it used to be to be nice to Beck's parents.

"Thank you," Jade responds. "It's great to see you, too."

It's obvious that Naomi is slightly taken aback by the politeness being elicited by the girl she's always known to be rude and somewhat antisocial, but it's a pleasant surprise and she's clearly genuinely happy that Beck and Jade could attend the shower.

"Where can we put this?" Beck asks as he holds up the nicely wrapped gift.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," she says. "I'm sure your sister will love it. I'll take it to the gift table."

"Speaking of Kara," Beck responds, "where is she?" As soon as the words escape his mouth, he sees his older sister approaching them.

"Beck!" She shrieks, throwing her arms around her little brother. "Oh my God, I feel like I haven't seen you in _years_!"

Jade tries to hide the confusion on her face. _Since when has Beck been so close to his sister? _An instant wave of guilt pangs her as she realizes how seemingly connected he is to his family.

"Look at you!" Beck says through a grin, placing his hand on her burgeoning stomach.

Another wave of jealousy hits Jade as she remembers when Beck used to do the same thing to her. It doesn't help that his sister is even more beautiful than Jade had remembered.

Kara laughs and looks down with him. "Yep," she says. "Almost five months! It's gone by so fast!" After speaking she looks up and immediately sees the girl who she'd always had a feeling didn't like her. "Jade!" She exclaims anyways, hoping that she won't reject a hug. Jade is a little surprised, but she hugs the girl back with her free arm and even smiles at her.

"Oh my God," she says again as she looks at Shiloh. "My heart just started beating faster. She is the cutest thing I've ever seen." Beck laughs as his sister reaches out her finger to tickle Shiloh's stomach. The baby grins at Kara, much to her delight, and Jade almost wishes that her daughter had kept a straight face. "This just makes me so excited to have a girl," she says as she shakes her head in amazement. "Her little dress and her headband and her shoes… She's precious! You're so lucky that you have her here! I can't wait to hold mine in my arms. How has it been with her?"

"It gets a little tricky at times," Beck answers. "But we've loved every second of it."

"Aww," Kara coos. "I just can't get over how cute she is. Do you…mind if I hold her?" She asks Jade.

Jade wants to say no, but Beck's sister is way too sweet for that. Besides, Jade owes it to her to be as nice as possible in order to make up for all of the times she's been such a bitch.

"Good luck getting her away from Jade," Beck teases.

Jade shakes her head as if it's not true, but she's secretly begging Shiloh to resist. "I'm sure she'll be fine," Jade answers as she carefully hands the baby to Kara. Like clockwork, the baby begins to whimper as soon as she's in someone else's arms, and her little bottom lip starts quivering.

"Ma-ma," she whines, reaching her arm out toward Jade.

"Ohhh," Kara utters sympathetically as she bounces the little girl up and down on her hip. "No?" She asks in a baby voice. "You want your momma back?"

Jade grins in the least sarcastic way possible and watches as Kara tries to pacify Shiloh—something she knows isn't going to happen until the baby's back in her mother's arms. "Don't feel bad," Jade offers sensitively as Kara hands her over. "She's just kinda started this new thing where she clings to me. She won't even go to Beck sometimes," she says, placing her free hand on her fiancé's cheek as he makes a confirming face.

"That is so sweet," Kara says. "I can't wait to be a mom. It must feel amazing to be that one person that your baby wants all the time."

Jade hasn't ever thought about it like that, but she nods her head anyways.

"Do you have any tips for having a girl?" She asks. "I mean, you seem to have the whole _mom_ thing down pretty well," Kara compliments with a gorgeous smile.

Jade shocks herself with how elated she involuntarily feels about being called a good mom. "Oh," she exhales. "I guess I'd just say to…cherish everything. The first time she smiles, her first bath, her first word," she gushes, remembering exactly how she felt last night when the last thing happened for her. _"Oh my God, I sound like such a tacky idiot," _she thinks to herself, but Kara seems completely enthralled.

_And it gets worse._

"And definitely buy these little crochet headbands," Jade adds, motioning to the yellow one Shiloh's wearing. "They're soft, so they don't hurt their heads, and they have them all different colors so they can match whatever."

"I love it," Kara replies. "I'm so glad I asked. Hey, okay, well I'm gonna go greet some people who've just arrived, but I'll see you guys in a bit!" Kara comments before telling them again how glad she is that they came. Once she's gone, Beck turns towards Jade and kisses her lips.

"What?" She asks, demanding an explanation for the action.

"Nothing," he says slyly. He's impressed with how positive she's been so far around his family, but he doesn't want to say anything to offend her—even if they'd both know it's true.

"Come on," he says, taking her hand again, "let's go socialize."

"Uh-uh," she refutes impatiently. "Tell me."

Beck sighs through a smile. "The way you talk when you talk about Shiloh…"

"_Dammit. He noticed."_

"It's so _pure_. You can just see how much you love her."

"Ugh," she mutters, only to his amusement.

"Aw, come on. I like it."

"Of course _you_ do; you're cheesy like that."

"I'm cheesy for liking the way you talk about our daughter?"

"You should hear yourself."

Beck grins and kisses her pouty cheek. "Come on."

As the couple and their daughter walk around, they get all kinds of questions and comments.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Wow, your daughter is absolutely beautiful!"

"When are you getting married?"

"Are you going to college?"

"You look so young!"

"Is it hard to go to school with a baby?"

"She looks just like you!"

It's tiring to answer and address so much repetition, but Beck and Jade manage to do it with class. After about twenty minutes, the couple is approached by John Oliver, Beck's father.

"How nice it is to see you, son," he remarks as he shakes Beck's hand. "You as well, Jade. I see you've brought my adorable granddaughter." He smiles at the sight of Shiloh. "I must say: I'm incredibly impressed with the two of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Beck replies genuinely. "It means a lot." They both know that Mr. Oliver had expressed his disappointment with how the couple had handled the situation; although he'd never actually said it, it was clear that he thought—in order to not ruin Beck and Jade's lives—an abortion would have been best.

"Really," he furthers, "I was hesitant to believe that you could make it work, but you have truly surprised me. Your mother told me you recently got a job, and I think it's great that you're both still in school and raising your child."

"I did," he answers proudly. "I'm an assistant at a record label near our apartment. It pays pretty well, and I manage to find time to get schoolwork done and spend time with Jade and Shiloh."

A faint smile appears on Jade's face as she beams with pride. It's moments like these when she's reminded how lucky she is to have the best guy in the world. She doesn't know what she ever did to deserve him, but she knows that she'll never let him go for as long as she lives. It's moments like these when she wants to be a better girlfriend—or soon, wife—to him because he's more than worthy of it. It's moments like these when she can feel her heart beating faster than usual, and when she senses how happy she is that she has a tiny human—half-him and half-her—who calls her "Mama."

"Splendid," Mr. Oliver replies with a true smile. "Say, how'd the two of you like to get some coffee after the shower with me and Naomi?"

Beck turns to Jade, who doesn't reject the idea, and nods his head. "That sounds good," he answers.

…

"What do you think they want to talk about?"

"I dunno. They probably just wanna ask how our lives are. I guess we'll find out soon."

Beck and Jade sip on their hot coffees—a perfect taste for New York's cold weather—at a table for four inside Starbucks. Shiloh is sitting happily in her dad's lap, chewing on her toy giraffe as he bounces his leg up and down to keep her appeased. Just minutes after they're seated, John and Naomi enter the café and step in line to order their drinks. It isn't long before they join Beck and Jade at their table, siting at the opposite side to face the teenagers.

"So," his mother begins, "did you enjoy the shower?"

"It was great," Beck answers. "I had a good time seeing everyone." Jade nods in agreement.

"Oh, I'm so glad," Naomi replies with a smile. "Well, your father and I have asked you here for a few reasons. The first is that… we'd like to apologize."

Beck furrows his eyebrows and nudges Jade's knee curiously under the table. "For what?"

John takes a deep breath. "When your mother and I let you access your trust fund upon hearing that Jade was pregnant, we were both extremely reluctant to do so—as you know. Over the past year, we've failed to be the supportive parents—and grandparents—that we'd liked to have been, and we want to express how sorry we are for that."

Beck and Jade are both speechless, and the only noise coming from their side of the table is Shiloh's quiet babbling.

"Beck…Jade," Naomi says, clearly holding back tears, "we are so, so sorry. The two of you are stronger than we'd ever have expected you to be, and we are really so very proud."

"Ma-ma," Shiloh says, breaking the silence that ensued after Naomi finished speaking. Her little arms reach out for Jade, who proceeds to take her.

"Wow," Beck says to his parents as he hands the baby to Jade. "Thank you."

"Mm," Naomi sighs as she puts her hand on her chest and looks at Jade. "The way Shiloh clings to you so much… it's absolutely precious. You are obviously such a wonderful mother."

As Jade internally radiates with bliss, a hint of pink flushes through her pale cheeks. "Thank you," she says meekly.

John takes a sip of his coffee and continues. "Well, secondly… The two of you are planning a wedding, yes?"

Beck and Jade look at each other nervously, both of them knowing what the next statement will be.

"Yes," Beck answers anyways.

"Your mother and I would like to pay for the wedding."

It's like déjà vu as Beck and Jade prepare themselves to decline the offer, but Naomi speaks before them.

"Please don't deny us of this," she says, as if she'd read their minds. "It's the least we can do. And we don't even have to attend. We just want to do this for you. Please."

Jade bounces Shiloh on her lap as the baby plays with her hair. She simply looks at Beck to reply, as she has no idea how to respond to his parents' proposition. What was supposed to be an easy no just got complicated by Naomi's plead.

Beck breathes deeply and looks to Jade to ask her with his eyes what she thinks of it. When she doesn't glare, he knows what he should do.

"We had planned on paying for the wedding ourselves…but it was really nice of you guys to offer. So…if you really want to, maybe we could split it?"

"I think it's easier if your mother and I provide all of the finances," John says with a warm smile. "What do you say?"

Beck looks at his father in the eyes, and he can't resist their kindness. "I guess, if it's okay with Jade…then…" He trails off, turning to face his fiancé again.

The eighteen-year-old looks down at her daughter, who's chewing on Jade's hair. She thinks of how much more money they'd have to spend on _Shiloh _if they weren't spending it on the wedding. In that instant, she looks back up at the Olivers.

"Thank you," she says as she nods her head in agreement. Naomi looks simultaneously relieved and happy at Jade's response, and Beck and Jade know that they made the right decision.

…

"Hey," Jade whispers as Beck rubs her shoulder with the hand of the arm he has slung around her body. They're lying in bed together, snuggled up next to each other after getting Shiloh to sleep.

"What's up?" Beck asks quietly.

"How come you've never told me how close you are to your family? I thought you never talked to them."

Beck is silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Kara and I have always been pretty close. We talk every once in a while… But my parents… I guess I stopped talking to them so much after their reaction to the pregnancy. You remember how upset they were; I don't think they minded that I didn't talk to them."

"Your mom seemed like she missed you," Jade commented.

"I guess so," Beck agrees. "It sounds like we'll be seeing more of them, now, though."

"It's not so bad," Jade admits after the silence.

In response, he turns his head to kiss her temple. "I meant what I said earlier."

Jade furrows her eyebrows, giving him leeway to further.

"The way you are with Shiloh, and the way you were with my family today…"

"Oh," Jade breathes. "Well, if we're doing this… I guess I should tell you that… I wish I was a better girlfr—fiancé," she corrects, "to you sometimes."

"What? Jade, you're—"

"Just let me talk," she interrupts, but not with her usual razor-sharp tone. "You didn't have to stay with me. You didn't have to help me during the pregnancy, and you didn't have to be Shiloh's dad. You didn't have to use your trust fund on me, and you didn't have to get a job. You didn't have to do any of it, and you did… You _do_. And I just…" Before Jade can finish, she has to stop herself from audibly choking on the tears that may be coming. "I just love you," she adds, without any hint that she could cry at any second.

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Beck's lips replace them. He kisses her with a passion that he's never felt in his life—except for with her—and they can't get enough of each other as their hands move everywhere in a heated fit of fervor. Before long, he pulls his shirt off over his head and leans back over her to continue kissing her.

The feeling is wonderful, and she still never gets over how comfortable and loved she feels in his arms. Things have never been more perfect for the couple that's faced nearly everything together, and both of them are sure that this is the happiest they've ever been.

Oh, the irony.

**Author's Note: If you don't know what a baby crochet headband looks like, I posted some example pictures on my Twitter! More importantly, thank you so much to everyone who follows, favorites, shares, and REVIEWS my story! I love you all. If you don't already, you can follow me on Twitter at TheOtherSideFF and on Tumblr at tooobsessedtocare .tumblr .com! Keep the reviews coming + XOXO**


	23. Gone

**Author's Note: Like I mentioned on my Twitter, I just couldn't wait to write this one. Thanks again for all of your reviews and support; they mean the world to me. I hope this chapter intrigues you as much as it did me. Also, if you're the type who can listen while you read, **_**Skyfall**_** by Adele is what I wrote the middle-end of this chapter to. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Oh my god, if she cries for another second I think I'm gonna lose my mind."

In a hasty response to Jade's complaint, Beck quickly unlocks the door to their apartment and pushes it open. As he tosses both of their school bags onto the ground, Jade takes Shiloh into the kitchen and puts her bib on before setting the five-month old in her high chair. Despite how many chew toys Jade rotates into the baby's hands, she continues to sob.

"Did the doctor say how long this would last for?" Beck asks as he walks into the kitchen to get the baby food that they'd just recently started to feed Shiloh.

"I'm guessing she'll stop when these damn teeth finally come in," Jade says in a matter-of-fact tone as she rolls her eyes.

"But how long will it be? She barely even has the _top_ of _one_ tooth."

"Then I guess we'll just have to have our eardrums blown out for another month or two," she replies irritably. "Did you get the food?"

At her command, Beck strolls over to the table and hands the jar of mashed bananas and a baby spoon to Jade. "Thank God it's Friday," he says as he pulls a chair out to sit next to her.

"Shiloh," Jade says, holding the spoon in front of the slowly settling baby, "open up." Jade knows that her daughter doesn't know what she means, so she mimics the action herself to help her. Just like this morning, when the baby refused the food, Shiloh turns her little head in denial. Jade waits a few seconds for her to look forward again and, as soon as she does, she gently pushes the small spoon into Shiloh's mouth.

Only half of it goes in because she spits the other half out, and Jade sighs in frustration. "Maybe we should just wait. She can go back to full-time breastfeeding; she's fine."

"But we just bought all of that baby food at the store," Beck protests mildly.

"Not the point, Beck."

"Jade, no baby actually likes solid food the first time you give it to them. This is only her second time trying it, and the doctor said she was ready. Here," he says, sticking out his hand, "let me try."

"What, you think that she'll take it from you instead of me? Have you forgotten who she likes better?"

Beck rolls his eyes playfully and takes the jar out of her hand. "C'mon, scooch over." When he's in front of the baby girl, he enthusiastically swirls the spoon around and makes matching facial expressions. "Shiloh!" He coos happily, smiling big at her. "Yummy, yummy," he says as he gets the spoon into her mouth. Jade scoffs at how stupid he sounds, but her heart sinks a little when Shiloh doesn't spit any of his spoonful out.

"Well, look at that," Beck marvels as he sits back in his seat. "I guess someone's got some competition," he teases Jade through a grin, elbowing her jokingly. As he continues feeding Shiloh in a somewhat successful manner, he does his best to keep conversation with an exhausted Jade. "So I'm guessing you've got quite a bit of homework to catch up on, yeah?"

"Ugh," she groans, "don't remind me. I never thought I'd hate missing school so much."

"I know. But you did the right thing," Beck encourages. While his mother had offered to babysit their sick and teething five-month-old for the few days that her fever lasted, Jade insisted on staying with her daughter—even if it meant she'd be missing more school and probably not sleeping at all. "But, anyways, I was thinking that I'd take Shiloh to the mall tonight. We could have some one-on-one time and you can do some homework and get to bed early. Thoughts?"

"You really are terrible at this whole relationship thing, you know," Jade comments.

"Every year," they mutter simultaneously.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Beck says. "You've gotta cut me some slack, though; finding time to go get a present is way harder now that we have a baby."

"I did it," Jade responds plainly.

"But I'm easy to shop for. You can be in and out of Levi's in ten minutes and find at least ten things I love. You, though… you're tough."

"What does that mean?" She asks sharply.

"Nothing," he reassures her. "I just always want to make sure you get just what you want."

Jade smiles sardonically. "How sweet."

"So, is that a yes to the mall idea?" Beck asks as if he needs her permission.

"If you don't go," she reasons, "I'm going to wake up tomorrow on our fourth anniversary without a present. You don't want to face those consequences."

…

Just like it usually looks on a Friday night, The Beverly Center is jam packed with people. With eight floors stocked full of all kinds of shops, there are plenty of places for Beck to find the perfect gift for Jade. It looks like there's a storm brewing outside, so the indoor mall definitely seems like a good choice.

As Beck walks around the third floor, he occasionally looks down at his daughter chewing on her toy giraffe. She's laying comfortably in her car seat that sits in the stroller, and he's sure she gets cuter every time he checks on her.

"Excuse me, sir. Would you like to try a sample of our smoothies?"

The voice seems to come out of nowhere, but Beck's attention is quickly drawn to the woman in front of him. She looks just slightly older than him and she's holding out a tray of little filled cups.

"What flavor is it?" He asks, not wanting to simply brush her off.

"You could guess," she answers with a flirty grin. Most people would think that the stroller would tip girls off, but this one's different.

He immediately picks up her vibe and chuckles at the situation. It's a good thing Jade's not here; that's for sure. "Or you could tell me, since I'm the customer," he responds in the friendliest tone.

She blushes. "It's mango."

"Oh, awesome," he says before taking one off of the tray. "That's my fiancé's favorite." As he downs the sample, he watches her face dim itself a few shades at the obvious hint that he's not single. "Where can I buy one of these?"

"We've got a stand right over there," she replies, less enthusiastically than before.

"Great, thanks!"

When Beck turns back around to face the stroller, it's evident that something is wrong. Where just a minute ago there had been a car seat holding Shiloh, there is now an empty space in the stroller. He instantly panics as he looks around him for any indication of where his daughter could be, but there are far too many people to even make a guess. As his heart begins beating faster, he whips back around to ask the girl if she saw anything while he was talking to her, but she's nowhere to be found.

Within sixty seconds, Beck is on the other side of the mall and thrusting open the door of the mall security office.

"Help!" He shouts impulsively. "I need help; I need an officer!"

"Sir, can we help you?" A man's voice asks as he emerges from behind the desk.

"My—my—my daughter, she—she was with me one second and someone took her and I just need you to—"

"To be clear, sir, your daughter was taken from you? How old is she?"

"Fi—five months old," he sputters messily through sporadic breaths.

Before either of them say anything, the police officer leans into the walkie-talkie hooked onto his shoulder and begins to speak into it. "This is Officer Murphy. I've got a Code Red. Immediate Code Red," he repeats.

After just a few seconds, Beck hears the alarms begin to go off throughout the mall as a team of officers is dispatched into the crowds. "Okay, sir, this needs to happen very quickly if we're going to find your daughter. We're putting the entire shopping center on lock-down, but we need to know every detail of your daughter in order to know what we're looking for. I need a full physical description of her."

Beck nods his head quickly in compliance and begins speaking as soon as he's given the chance. "She's five months old. She has light skin, brown hair, and blue-green eyes. She's in a car seat…black with a blue interior."

"Okay," the officer says as he jots Beck's words down in a yellow notepad. "What is she wearing?"

At the sound of his question, Beck's stomach internally drops to the floor; he has no earthly idea what Shiloh is wearing today. He immediately begins thinking of everything he can do to answer the officer's question without having to call Jade, who he knows would know what their daughter is dressed in. He could do his best to remember, which would probably result in making something up. He could text Cat, who may or may not have been paying attention to the baby's clothes today at school.

"Sir?"

His word jolts Beck's thoughts again as he goes into full panic mode. "I need to call my fiancé," he responds. "Please just find her. Please," he begs. "I'll get you the information as soon as possible."

"We'll do the best we can," the man replies. "Let Mary know when you've got the details," he says, gesturing to a woman behind the desk, "and she'll radio it to me." With that, Officer Murphy heads out from the office and into the chaos that had erupted in the mall.

Beck's heart rate has already accelerated so much that he's begun to sweat, and simply the thought of having to tell Jade about what's just happened makes him more nervous than he's ever been in his life. He doesn't know what he's more afraid of: the fact that he has no idea where his five-month-old daughter is or that he has to tell Jade about it. When he realizes he can't procrastinate any longer, he pulls out his phone and taps the first contact under his "Favorites."

The dial tones have never felt so long on any call, and Beck—who still has no idea how he'll break the news to her—hopes that she'll somehow understand. Just as he's racking his brain for what he should say, he realizes it's too late.

"If you're wondering whether I want the tall or short black boots, I want the tall ones."

Actually, he'd planned on getting her something entirely different; a dark gold oval locket with a picture of Shiloh inside. He cringes at the thought of his daughter.

"I need you to come to the mall. Can you?" Maybe he'll just tell her when she gets here. No—that won't work, and he's about to ruin everything with his next question.

"Why?" She asks cynically.

"Um," he starts, unable to get the words out, "do you remember what Shiloh is wearing?"

The thought of why he'd be asking obviously doesn't even cross her mind. "Oh my god, did she spit up on that navy romper? Wait, did you seriously just call to tell me that she ruined an outfit? Beck, you know that comes out in the washer; I don't know why you—"

She's rambling too much. He just needs her here. He needs to tell Jade and then get the information to Mary about what Shiloh's wearing.

"Is that a siren going off?" She digresses. "Where the hell are you?"

"Please don't freak out. I'm at the Beverly Center and I swear to God, Jade, I turned around for two seconds and when I looked back… Shiloh and the car seat were gone."

He can hear the tension on the other side of the line. Jade is frozen physically, but her insides are raging with hormones her body hasn't ever released. "When?" She utters lifelessly.

"Two minutes ago," he answers before hearing the click that ended the call. His stature indicating his hopelessness, Beck turns to face Mary. "A navy romper. My daughter is wearing a navy romper. And she has a white headband on. Please…"

…

"Move out of my way!" Jade barks at the frightened people passing on either side of her. Everyone is in panic mode as hundreds of bodies knock against each other in an effort to get out of the mall. This, of course, was a useless motive; the red alert firing throughout the mall indicates that no one comes in or out. Jade had been an exception, of course, and an officer had met her outside to escort her in.

"Move!"

As she beelines to the police office, a tearful Cat tries to keep up with her. Since Beck had their car, Jade'd had to call her best friend to let her borrow hers. Jade, of course, had driven the pink bug to the mall, but Cat wanted to tag along to help as best as she could.

When the girls finally reach the office, they're met at the door by Beck and a police officer.

"Ma'am, I want you to know—"

Jade ignores him and glares directly at Beck. She's completely out of breath and her eyes are watering enough to make him melt. "Where were you?"

"Jade, I'm so sor—"

"Tell me where!" She screams impatiently, her chest palpitating as if she'd just run a marathon.

"Right by the smoothie place on the third floor. Jade, I—"

Before he can finish, she's turned around. He watches her thrust the door open and practically fly out of the office and into the masses.

"She shouldn't be out there," the officer explains as he begins to walk towards the door. "The officers have got a much better chance at finding her than—"

"Let's just go," Beck urges, pushing the door open. He should've been looking for her. He shouldn't have listened when the officers told him that he should stay put and that the chances of him finding her were slim to none. He needed to stay at the office, they'd said, so that if they found a child that could be Shiloh, Beck would be on hand to identify her. The second he sees Jade bolting out the door, though, he knows that he shouldn't have listened.

"Cat," he breathes as he turns around a final time, "stay. Call if they hear anything."

…

Jade is frantic. In the sea of strangers from all over Los Angeles, she has no idea who she's looking for. There are mothers with strollers and car seats seemingly everywhere, and she has to double check each time she thinks she has a hunch.

As she pushes dozens of people out of her way, she finally makes her way to the fifth floor balcony so that she can look down on the entire mall. All she needs to see is the car seat… the black car seat with the turquoise interior. She needs to see someone carrying it. Someone whom she swears will wish they'd never been born after she's through with them.

Peering over the balcony, though, she sees nothing but pandemonium. Her eyes search everywhere…every level, every corner for as far as she can see. She checks her phone to find that, if Beck's estimation was correct, it's been approximately fifteen minutes since Shiloh was taken.

That's long enough to do anything terrible, and Jade feels like she might crumble into a million pieces right on the floor. She refuses to stand there, though, and begins going into every single store, floor by floor.

"_Shiloh is somewhere in this mall,"_ she thinks to herself. There are at least a thousand people at the Beverly Centeron this rainy, ugly Friday night.

Is Shiloh one of them?

**Review.**


	24. When it Rains, it Pours

**Author's Note: If you're looking for songs to listen to (aka, the ones I listened to while I wrote this), try "In Your Hands" by Jason Mraz, "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson, and finally "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5. I love this chapter, and I hope you do, too.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Ma-ma! Ma-maaaaa!"

The cry tugs on Jade's heartstrings as if someone were actually yanking the organ out of her body, and she's shoving people to the left and right of her to get down the escalator as quickly as possible. She keeps her eyes locked on the dramatic ordeal that's cluttered in front of the Macy's inside the Beverly Center; hundreds of spectators watch as policemen handcuff a dark-haired man behind his back.

The sirens have shut off, but the murmurs coming from the crowd together create a noise almost as loud. While the car seat is nowhere to be found, Officer Murphy is holding the screaming five-month-old baby girl in his arms and doing his best to calm her down.

When Jade finally reaches the scene, she nearly crashes into the police officer. She immediately takes Shiloh into her arms and secures her grip, holding the baby tighter than ever.

"Shhh," she coos, without noticing the tears that are streaming down her cheeks. "Mama's here, shhh…" As Jade whispers words of reassurance into the baby's little ears, she rubs her back comfortingly and kisses the top of her head. In the moment, _the entire world_ could be watching and Jade—cold, stubborn, bitchy Jade—wouldn't hesitate to look like an emotionally fragile basket case.

After no more than a minute, Beck appears in front of Jade. He wraps her in a hug that shields Shiloh between their bodies and whispers at least ten times how sorry he is. Jade pays no attention to him and barely even notices his presence—both out of spite and because all she can focus on is how glad she is to have Shiloh back in her arms.

When Beck finally pulls away, he turns to Jade again and wipes a tear from her cheek. By now, the baby has stopped crying and is laying her head on Jade's chest while her hand grips her mother's hair tightly.

"I am so sorry, Jade. You will never know how sorry I am."

She looks at him, but her eyes reflect his betrayal and her facial expression is all he needs to know how disappointed in him she is. It's worse than anger, which—coming from Jade—is about as bad as it gets, and Beck feels worthless as he turns to face the police officer that's been waiting to talk to them.

"We found her with this man on the second floor of Macy's. We've yet to locate the car seat, but as far as we can see, your daughter is free from any physical injuries. You're very lucky." After addressing more legal issues for another fifteen minutes or so, the police let the couple know that they're free to go.

"Cat," Beck says, turning towards the redhead, "thanks so much for all your help and for bringing Jade here."

"You're welcome," she replies softly, clinging almost childishly to Jade's side. "Jade," she says, turning towards her best friend, "you left your purse in my car. Do you wanna come get it?"

Jade sighs and nods her head. "I'm riding home with Cat," she tells Beck. She may as well have slapped him across the face, but he understands why she's so upset and decides that she would probably benefit from ten minutes without him.

"Okay," he says sympathetically before kissing Shiloh's head. "I'll see you at home."

…

Cat and Jade make it home before Beck, giving her the opportunity—hopefully—to be in and out before he even has time to ask where she's going. While Cat holds Shiloh and sings a sweet song to her, Jade quickly packs herself and the baby a bag of enough things to last them a week. Just as she's packing up the bottles, Beck walks through the door. It doesn't take him long to see the suitcase on the floor of the living room.

"Jade," he breathes, "where…"

She takes a few seconds to zip up the bag before looking at Beck straight in his eyes. "I'm going to Cat's for a little while."

"Jade, please—"

"Beck," she says harshly, "I'm going." Cat continues looking down at the baby to avoid making eye contact with him. When Jade turns around and opens the door, she follows her out and down to her car.

"Jade, wait," Beck pleads as he follows the girls out of the apartment. She doesn't respond to him as she shoves the suitcase and the pac-n-play (in which Shiloh will sleep) into the trunk. "Jade," he repeats, placing his hand on her arm, which she pulls back to her side.

"Cat," she directs, "get in the car. I'll be in in a second." Her best friend does as she's told and, still holding the baby, gets into the passenger's seat.

"Don't try to convince me to stay, because I won't. I _trusted_ you to take care of her…to protect her… And you made me feel like an _idiot_ for it! What the fuck were you thinking? What kind of _father_ turns around and leaves his daughter unsupervised? I just…" Jade trails off, choking back tears. "I could have lost her… I could have never held her again." She pauses and looks right between his eyes. "And it's all your fault."

Beck is speechless as he watches Jade turn around and get into the driver's seat. Cat moves to the backseat with Shiloh, since they don't have a car seat, and Jade starts the car and drives off without looking back even once.

…

"I'm sorry that you have to stay here," Cat says meekly. "I know you don't really like sharing a bed."

Jade, who's sitting on the fluffy pink couch in her best friend's room, is nursing Shiloh for her nighttime feed. "Cat," she says sympathetically, "come sit."

Like always, the redhead obeys and takes a seat by Jade.

"I know things have been different since I had the baby… I'm sorry that we don't get to hang out as much as we used to."

"So…it's okay if I miss you?"

Jade takes a deep breath. It's uncharacteristic of her to be so kind, but—when it's just her and Cat—she doesn't have to pretend that motherhood hasn't brought out the nurturing side of her.

"I miss you, too," Jade admits. "But I want you to know that I really appreciate all you do for me and Shiloh. You're the best, most supportive best friend I could ever want, and you're so good with Shi, too. I just never get to tell you how…grateful I am."

Cat's eyes are a clear indication of her happiness as she smiles sweetly at Jade. "I'm excited for you to stay here."

"It'll be like a sleepover," Jade reasons, "except that instead of for just a night, it'll be for longer. Are you…sure you want me to sleep in here?"

Cat furrows her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I? You're the one who never wants to tell jokes or bedtime stories," she points out.

"True, but that's not it. Shiloh's teething right now, and she typically wakes up a lot during the night."

"We can stay up all night!" Cat exclaims giddily.

"You say that until all you want to do is sleep and you can't get her to stop crying."

The smile doesn't disappear from Cat's face. "I think it'll be fun."

…

"What time is it?" Cat whispers tiredly as she pushes her sleeping mask off of her head.

"Three. Sorry," Jade mutters as she rocks her crying baby in her arms.

"It's okay, Jadey," Cat says softly. "She's just a little baby; she can't help it."

Jade sighs and continues to rock Shiloh in hopes that she'll stop her sobbing. For a second, she wishes that she were with Beck so that he could take a shift and let her sleep; she could ask Cat to do it, but she'd feel awful about it and the redhead probably wouldn't be much help.

Cat sits up at looks at her best friend. She's such a good mom, and Cat wishes that Jade would let everyone see this side of her. Though she's stressed, frustrated, and tired as hell, it's three o'clock in the morning and she's comforting Shiloh as if it's the only thing she could be doing. Cat feels for her, and, after rubbing her eyes and yawning a few times, rolls out of her bed.

"I think I know how we can make her stop."

"Cat," Jade says, turning to face her best friend, "don't worry about it. She just needs to cry it out for a few more minutes and then hopefully she'll wear herself out."

"No, no," Cat protests. "Can we just try?"

"Try what?" Jade asks, her tone showing her exasperation.

Cat turns on her lamp, shedding some light into the room. "I think she'd like it if we sang to her."

"Cat—"

"Pleaaasie?" Her sweet voice begs.

Jade groans, but she looks down at the crying baby and realizes she's really in no position to turn down help. "Fine. What's your plan?"

"What do you sing to her?"

Jade shrugs her shoulders, unprepared and unwilling to confess the lullabies she sings to her daughter.

"You don't sing to her?" Cat asks in a way that suggested Jade might as well not _feed_ her, either.

She sighs. "You Are My Sunshine," she admits. "She likes that one."

"I _love_ that one!" Cat exclaims, somehow pulling stored energy out at this early hour.

Jade rolls her eyes, but when Cat begins to sing, Jade joins her. They harmonize in a way that would make anyone think they'd rehearsed a hundred times, their beautiful voices perfectly in sync. It takes about a minute, but Shiloh slowly settles down and nestles her head into Jade's neck. Exhausted, the baby girl begins to close her eyes as Cat and Jade's voices serenade her.

Around three thirty in the morning, the girls are sure she's asleep.

"We did it!" Cat whispers excitedly, rubbing her eyes again.

"Yep," Jade replies, still bouncing to make sure Shi stays asleep. "Thanks."

Cat smiles. "You're welcome. Now put her in her little bed so that we can sleep!"

Jade shakes her head. "I wish. I think if I lay her down, she'll wake up and start crying again."

Cat furrows her eyebrows. "Then how are you gonna sleep?"

"I'll sit on the couch and hold her. Maybe I'll close my eyes for a little while."

"But…"

"Cat, it's fine. I've done it before. When you have a baby, you get used to it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. You get some sleep."

Cat stares at Jade as she ponders how much her best friend has changed since becoming a mother. Before Shiloh, Jade wouldn't miss a night's sleep for anything—even if there were a _war_ going on. Now, though, she seems so willing to sacrifice her rest for her daughter… Cat's pretty sure she'd sacrifice _anything_ for her daughter.

"Okay," she breathes. She wants to stay up with her, but her eyes are slowly closing and she doesn't think she'll make it for much longer. "Goodnight, Jadey." After turning off her lamp and putting her sleeping mask on, Cat curls up under her covers and quickly falls asleep.

As Jade sinks into the couch, she pulls her phone—which she hasn't checked since she left the apartment—out of her back pocket and clicks the power button to make it light up.

_Missed Call (8) – Beck_

_Text Message (13) – Beck_

_Text Message – Tori_

After replying to Tori's text about how she'd heard of the kidnapping incident and hoped Shiloh was okay, Jade begins scrolling through Beck's. Each of them have a similar theme: he's sorry, he regrets everything, he wishes he could see her, he hopes she'll come back soon… Then, one at midnight that reads:

"_Happy Anniversary, Babe. All I want to do is kiss you and spend the day with you and Shi. I am so, so sorry. I love you more than anything. Please come home soon."_

Most of the texts ask her to respond. He should know her better. Maybe he does, and he's just hoping that she'll reply anyways to keep him from going insane. Either way, Jade isn't planning on talking to him. She's stubborn, yes, but it's more than that; she's promised herself that he'll have to regain her trust.

Still, though, she can't help but wish that he hadn't been so stupid so that she wouldn't be sitting on a couch—alone—at four o'clock in the morning. She wants him to put his arm around her and let her snuggle up next to him, but her she's got far too much pride to give in and go home. As she stares at the rain that's pouring down outside, she's further reminded of how much she misses him. It's an internal fight between missing Beck and being angry at him—both of which are tugging at her severely—and she can't help but feel as though her favorite weather just isn't the same without him.

The rain continues throughout the night as Jade dozes off for a few hours. When she wakes up around six for Shiloh's feeding time, Cat is still asleep. She nurses the baby quietly and checks her phone to find a few more texts from Beck. He must have skipped sleeping.

"_I hope she's not crying too much so that you can get some sleep. I'm so sorry. I love you."_

"_Give Shi a kiss for me."_

"_I can't stop thinking about you. These four years have been the best of my life. I'm so sorry for messing this up."_

Jade sighs and leans her head back against the top of the sofa. As she closes her eyes, memories replay in her head of all of the moments in her life during which she's loved Beck the most. Although several appear from the first three-and-a-half years of their relationship, an overwhelming amount come from the most recent months, post-Shiloh.

She remembers how supportive he was during her labor and how he was the only thing that got her through. She remembers how he came up with her name and how perfectly it fit her. She remembers the first time they took her in the pool, the first time she smiled, and her favorite of all: the first time she said "Mama." As much warmth as Jade feels from simply thinking about all she and Beck have been through, the more she remembers the more frustrated she feels. How could he be so careless with her? Hadn't he realized how important it was to keep his eyes on her? How could she ever trust him as a father to her daughter again?

When Cat finally wakes up, it's nine o'clock and Jade is reading "Where the Wild Things Are" to Shiloh. Although she'd initially thought it stupid to read to a baby, every parenting book she and Beck had bothered to read recommended it. As Jade flips through the pages, Shiloh babbles and presses her hand against the pictures repeatedly, obviously intrigued.

"I thought you didn't like stories," Cat says teasingly.

"She's five months old. You're eighteen," Jade argues.

"Can I still listen?"

Jade rolls her eyes, but pats the seat on the couch next to her in an invitation for Cat to join her. When she finishes the story, Cat applauds Jade and laughs happily. Shiloh immediately looks at her, fascinated by the action. She, too, begins to giggle and reaches for Cat's clapping hands. Jade watches as Cat takes Shi's little hands and claps them together for her—much to both of their entertainment.

"She can clap!" Cat exclaims.

"Well, she can clap if you throw her hands together for her," Jade corrects.

"Soon you'll be clapping all by yourself!" Cat tells the baby in a sweet voice, tickling her to evoke more giggles.

"Alright, let's get some breakfast," Jade suggests. "Shiloh," she says to her daughter, her arms weary, "go see Cat." The redhead happily opens her arms to take the baby, who hesitates before finally turning herself towards Cat.

Jade is thankful that Shi isn't in the mood to be difficult, and she hands Cat the baby's giraffe toy (a gift from Cat herself) to give to Shiloh to chew on.

"Where's your family?" Jade asks as they sit down at the kitchen table.

"They're in San Francisco for the weekend at some kind of program for my brother…"

"What program?"

"I don't know; they wouldn't tell me. My mom said he might stay there for a little while."

"About time your brother went to rehab," Jade mutters.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

…

When Jade wakes up on Sunday morning after another night of just four hours of sleep, the weekend's thunderstorm is still in full force. As she tunes into the pitter-patter of raindrops against Cat's window, she checks her phone again. Totaled from just this weekend, Beck has called twenty-four times and sent thirty-eight text messages. Jade feels a slight twinge of guilt for keeping him from his daughter; she can't imagine if the roles were reversed (though, admittedly, he'd never be able to keep her away.) However, she has yet to get over her gut feeling that he deserves it. She hasn't talked to him at all since Friday night—skipping even sending him a text for their anniversary yesterday.

She knows how sorry he is; he's made that clear. Every time she looks at her daughter, though, she's reminded of how—because of Beck—Jade could have lost her forever.

As the hours pass, Jade and Cat do some of their homework together while entertaining Shiloh with TV (played on Jade's PearPad) and toys. Jade's phone buzzes every once in a while with a new text from Beck, so she learns to ignore it. Around four in the afternoon, though, she gets five consecutive calls from him.

Cat and Jade look at each other as her phone rings for the sixth time, their minds racing with possible scenarios of why he's suddenly being so persistent. Jade touches her phone, ready to press "Ignore," but Cat stops her.

"Wait. What if something happened? What if he needs something?"

It's strange that Cat's the logical one in the situation, but Jade takes her thought into consideration and takes a deep breath before sliding her phone to answer the call.

"Jade?"

As much as she hates herself for it, she can't ignore the feelings of relief that wash over her as she hears his voice for the first time all weekend. "What?" she replies, not sounding as harsh as she'd hoped she would.

"Are you still at Cat's?"

She pauses. "Why?"

"Are you?"

Another pause. "Yes."

"Can you come outside?"

"What?"

"Can you?"

"Beck, what the hell are—"

"Jade, please."

Jade furrows her eyebrows in frustration and confusion as she ends the call. "I think he might be here," she says to Cat.

"Like, at my house?"

Jade nods her head and scoops up Shiloh from where she's playing.

"Where are we going?" Cat asks as they stand up and begin walking downstairs.

"I don't know. To your yard, I guess."

"It's pouring outside!" Cat protests.

"I know, Cat," Jade says as the girls appear at the front door. "Oh my God," she utters as she looks out the window.

Standing outside, getting drenched in the heavy rain, is Beck.

"Cat," Jade breathes, "take Shiloh. I'll be right back."

Cat does as she's told and gladly takes the baby into her arms as she watches Jade open the door and quickly shut it behind her to avoid getting water inside.

By the time she reaches where Beck is standing on the sidewalk, she's soaking wet.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yells over the rain.

"I had to see you," he says, loud enough for her to hear.

"No. You don't get to do this to me. Do you know how tired I am? I don't want to deal with this. You don't just to come over and tell me you had to see me!"

"I'm sorry! God, Jade, I'm so sorry! I keep replaying it in my head and I don't know what I was thinking. I swear, I—"

"Stop! Stop it!" She screams. "You fucked up, Beck! No matter how sorry you are, it doesn't change the fact that I almost lost my _child _because of you! She's five months old, Beck! How could you be so irresponsible?!"

"I—"

She cuts him off again. "I'm exhausted. I've been up all night—alone—with Shiloh for the past two nights. But do you know what, Beck? Being alone is better than being with someone who is careless enough to take his eyes off of his daughter for even a second."

"I'm sorry!" He yells again as he moves towards her. "Everyone makes mistakes, Jade! I know mine was terrible but I swear it'll never happen again. Please," he begs, putting his hand on her arm.

She quickly jerks it away before using her hands to wipe the eye makeup that the rain has spread all over her cheeks off.

"Jade, please… please forgive me. You have no idea how painful it was to be apart on our anniversary. I see you and our daughter every day, and it's the highlight of each one of them." He takes deep breaths over his rapid heartbeats and takes the fact that she hasn't interrupted him yet as the opportunity to continue speaking. "Yesterday marked four years together…the best four years of my life. God, I can't imagine my life without you, Jade. I've loved you since the second I saw you, and it makes me sick to my stomach that I've done something that could take you away from me. You've given me everything… you and Shiloh are my _world_."

Tears are flowing from Jade's cheeks, but—lucky for her—the rain makes it hard to tell. Motherhood has without a doubt made her more vulnerable, but she tries to brush it off and screams at her heart to quit interfering with her head.

"Please," he begs as he move himself closer to her. "I'm so sorry." As he speaks, he cups her cheeks in his hands. "I swear, if you come back to me, I'll never let you or Shiloh out of my sight again. I love you more than anything in the world…"

When she doesn't respond, he knows she's considering it. He feels terrible for what he's put her through; just looking at her, he knows she's physically and emotionally spent. As he continues holding her pale cheeks in his hands, he moves his face closer and presses his lips against hers.

Part of Jade wants to object, but she's overwhelmed with weakness and she doesn't back away when he leans in to kiss her. When their lips meet, her body vibrates with passion because of how in love she is with him. She can feel the reconnection as he pulls her in closer to him, moving his hands to wrap around her delicate figure. He holds her tighter than he ever has as they kiss over and over again, relishing each one.

"I missed you so much," she confesses between kisses.

"I'm so sorry," he repeats. "I love you so much."

As the rain continues beating down, thunder pangs the sky enough to shake the ground. They don't stop kissing, though, and Jade can't get over how strange it is that he's able to take the weight of the world off of her shoulders by simply holding her in his arms. As they stand in the rain together, the stress of the torturous past three days washes away. They're finally together again, and, for now, that's all that matters.

Somehow, it gets better.

Beck pulls his face apart from her for just a few seconds, a grin covering his face. Without hesitating, he whispers into her ear.

"Let's get married."

* * *

**Again, I really hope that you guys liked chapter as much as I did. Pleaaaase review and let me know what you think. Love you guys, XOXO**


	25. Plenty to Celebrate

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! I am so, SO sorry that this took so long to get out, but get excited because there's lots of great stuff coming your way. The reason this chapter took me so long to post is that I wanted to decide where I'm going with the story before I continued it. I finally decided what I'm going to do, so I was able to write this and publish! Enjoy + Review! XOXO**

Chapter Twenty-Five

"To the right. …No, now to the left… This isn't rocket science; just center the damn sign."

As the stepladder wiggles slightly under Robbie's feet, he does his best to follow Jade's strict instructions. "Andre," he pleads, "when I move it, you have to move it, too."

"I would, but your shaking hands are movin' it enough for the both of us," Andre retorts.

Jade rolls her eyes and walks back over to where her daughter is playing on the floor. While she sits upright (all by herself), she plays with and chews on the blocks that she's holding in her hands. When she sees Jade, she immediately drops them and holds out her little arms as she makes a yearning noise.

"I figured," Jade says as she picks the baby up and takes her back to the living room. While Shiloh babbles happily in Jade's arms, the teenager looks up at the wall to see that Robbie and Andre have finally got the sign hung straight and centered.

"Wow," she marvels sardonically. "And it only took you five hours!"

"More like five minutes," Robbie argues weakly.

"Twenty, actually," Andre mutters. After taking a sip from his water bottle, he turns to face Beck, who's sitting in a chair blowing up balloons. "Can we trade jobs? My arms are sick of havin' to hang things up."

Beck laughs as he ties another balloon shut. "You wish. That sign looks, uh…nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jade queries sharply.

"Nothing," he answers, trying to save himself. "I like the…edit."

"Well, I'm sorry that they don't sell signs at the store that say 'Happy Six Months'!" Andre responds. He wants to add something about how celebrating half-birthdays is stupid, but he holds his tongue in fear of what Jade might do to him.

"It looks fine," she snaps as she bounces the baby in her arms.

The white banner hangs perfectly across the wall and, in purple letters, reads "Happy Sixth Birthday!" In sharpie, Andre has added in a little roof with the word "month" in between _sixth_ and _birthday_. It might look tacky, but it works for Jade—and that's all that matters.

After hanging a few more things, Andre and Robbie grab their coats and turn to face their friend again. "So the party starts at six, right?"

"Yeah," Beck answers. "Thanks again, guys, for helping. See you tonight."

"True chiz," Andre replies. "Later!" With that, he and Robbie open the door and exit into the cold.

"So," Beck says as he stands up from his seat and makes his way over to Jade, "remind me again why this is so important…?"

"Beck, it's her half-birthday. I always celebrate my—"

"I know, I know _you_ do. But we always celebrate your half-birthday because you actually know and care about it… She's just a baby."

"Beck, what's my favorite day of the year?"

"Black Friday."

Jade pauses. "Okay, second favorite."

"Your birthday."

"It's a tie between my birthday and half-birthday."

Beck tries not to show that he has no idea what her point is. "Okay…"

"So I want Shiloh to always celebrate _her_ half-birthday, too. And I want her to be able to say that she's always celebrated it. And this is her first one. We're not just going to let it pass by as any other day."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Well any excuse for a party, I guess, right?"

Jade rolls her eyes and almost says something before she hears the repeated ringing sound coming from the kitchen. "Take her," Jade says with wide eyes as she hands Shiloh to him.

Once the baby is with Beck, Jade hurries into the kitchen and has to cough because of the increasing amount of smoke coming from the oven. "Shit!" She exclaims as she opens the oven door and begins fanning the smoke away. By the time she's opening the windows to let the smoke air out, Beck has set Shiloh in her rocker and is retrieving the blackened cake from the oven.

When they both finish coughing and the smoke is basically cleared, Beck shuts the fire alarm off and turns his attention back to his fuming fiancé. He moves towards her slowly and sets a gentle hand on her arm. "Babe, it's okay—"

"It's not okay!" She shrieks. "That's the_ third fucking cake_ I've ruined! I don't understand how I keep doing this; it's not that complicated to throw some flour and eggs in a bowl and bake it!"

Beck does his best not to chuckle at Jade's sweet attempt to make Shiloh's half-birthday cake. "Hey," he says soothingly, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry about it. The apartment looks great, tonight's gonna be great, and you have a best friend who I know would _love_ to make that cake."

Jade groans. "If Cat makes the cake, it's going to be all pink and disgusting."

"Just tell her exactly what you want; I'm sure she won't mess it up," Beck rations. Despite her sigh, he kisses her head and smiles. "You go get the baby; I'll clean up in here."

As a sign of gratitude—and simply because she wants to—she kisses his lips before exiting the kitchen and returning to the living room. Shiloh, the good baby that she is, is sitting contently in the rocker as she plays with the toys that dangle from above. The second she sees Jade, she begins kicking her legs excitedly and earnestly jabbers, "Ma-ma-ma-mam."

"_I swear, I am a _slave_ to this child," _she thinks to herself as a smile appears on her face at the sight of her daughter.

"You should feel lucky," she says as she pulls the child into her arms. "Your mama doesn't smile at _anyone_. You're just too cute, though."

Just as she sinks into the couch and sets Shiloh on her lap, Beck re-enters. "So what are we getting her?" He asks.

Jade raises her eyebrows quickly like she usually does when she has an idea she considers to be ingenious. "I have the perfect gift idea."

"Do tell."

"A bunny."

Beck narrows his eyes and looks away for a brief second before responding. "Um, I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"What? Why? Of course it is. I love bunnies, so she does, too."

"Jade, first of all, a bunny could easily scratch her, and—"

"Beck, don't be stupid; I would only let her pet the fur."

"Second," he continues anyways, "I'm allergic to bunnies. You know that."

"So?"

"So? My throat gets all itchy when I touch one."

"No one's going to force you to touch it. Although that _would_ be such great revenge…" She trails off, obviously creating scenarios in her mind.

"What if Shiloh's allergic, too?"

Jade's face immediately goes from a happy mischievous to a disappointed one.

"I mean," Beck furthers, "we wouldn't know for sure until we take her to a doctor to get her tested, but we don't want to find out by just exposing her to a bunny… I'm sorry, Babe."

Jade sighs ostentatiously as she continues bouncing the baby on her lap. "Well I don't have any other ideas."

"I do," Beck reassures with a smile. "A puppy."

"A _puppy_?" Jade repeats sharply. "So you get to have your animal and I don't get to have mine? No."

"Jade, you're not _allergic _to dogs."

"My last experience with a dog was it attacking your dad in your RV. If you think I'm letting any kind of that monstrous animal near Shiloh, you're on drugs."

"That was a Rottweiler; those are the most viscous dogs on the planet! We'd get a _family_ dog, like a Golden Retriever or something. I think she'd love it."

"No."

"Jade, come on. It's the perfect present!"

"She could be allergic to dogs."

"She's not."

"Do you know that for sure?"

"If neither one of us is allergic, there's only a tiny chance that she is."

Jade rolls her eyes. "I think you're forgetting the fact that we don't have _time_ for a dog. It's basically another baby."

Beck's face dims a few shades. "Oh, yeah. I guess I didn't really think about that."

"Just buy a stuffed animal dog, if you really want one," Jade offers teasingly. "Either way, we still don't have a present for Shiloh."

Beck thinks on it for a few seconds. "Actually, I've got another idea." He stands up and goes over to grab his keys. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"What? Where are you going?"

"To get the present and pick up the food for the party. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Beck Oliver, if you come back to this apartment with a dog, I swear—"

"I love you!" He calls out before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

After sending him a threatening text, Jade decides to call Cat and ask her for help with the cake.

As usual, she picks up after one ring.

"Cat?"

"Jade!"

"Yeah. Listen, are you busy?"

"Nope! I just wrapped Shiloh's present all nice and pretty and now I'm just watching TV with my brother. What are you doing?"

Jade hesitates; asking Cat for help—and thus admitting her inadequacy—is harder than she thought. She decides that, in order to save her pride, she needs to go a different route. "Well," she says, perking up her voice, "I'm just making Shiloh's half-birthday cake! Fun, huh?"

Cat gasps as if she's never heard a more exciting statement in her life, and Jade can't help but let out a sigh of relief. She knows that there are few things Cat loves more than baking, but she's just glad that her plan is already working. "Oh my gosh, so fun!"

"Yeah! I'm gonna bake it, and then slather the icing all over it, and maybe even use sprinkles."

"Sprinkes?!"

"Sprinkles," Jade taunts.

There's a bit of silence for a few seconds before Cat's sweet voice comes across the line. "Um, Jadey? …Do you think I can come over and help?"

Jade grins, but doesn't reveal her alleviation. "Hmm. I mean, I don't really need help, but… I guess, if you really _want_ to…"

"Yes! Oh, yes, Jadey! Please!"

"Alright, alright," Jade agrees. "You can come over. I'll see you soon?"

"I'm leaving now!" _Click._

After setting her phone back down on the coffee table, Jade returns her attention to the six-month-old baby girl sitting in her lap. She remembers what she read in her parenting book last week about babies her age typically loving the game of "Peek-a-Boo," but thinking that there's no way she'd ever stoop to that level of cheesiness. She's home alone with the baby, though, and it isn't as if she's got a cake to bake.

After another minute of contemplation, Jade finally sits Shiloh up on the couch, supporting her with nearby pillows. She lowers herself to the ground so that she's face-to-face with her daughter and looks around out of paranoia—even though she knows no one else is in the apartment.

"_Just do it, Jade. Stop being such a wimp."_

She brings her hands up to cover her face, keeping her fingers cracked so that she can watch Shiloh's reaction. After a few seconds, she pops her palms away. "Peek-a-Boo!" She coos. Before she can help herself, a huge smile appears on Jade's face as she sees her daughter's reaction; Shiloh shrieks and giggles uncontrollably at her mom's surprise, prompting Jade to do it again and evoke the same response. Without fail, each time Jade's hands disappear to reveal her face, Shiloh bursts into baby laughter. Jade decides it was undoubtedly worth it.

…

"_Happy Half-Birthday to you! Happy Half-Birthday to you! Happy Half-Birthday, dear Shiloh! Happy Half-Birthday to you!"_

As the gang all chimes in to sing the traditional tune, the baby giggles in her high chair and stares in awe at the teenagers. The cake—which, thanks to Cat, had turned out beautifully—is sitting in front of Shiloh so that they can take pictures of her with it.

"Beck, Jade," Andre says as he picks up Beck's camera, "you two get on either side of her."

Jade grunts at the cliché nature of the picture that's about to happen, but complies anyways because she knows she'll regret it if she doesn't.

"Say cheese!"

While Beck grins and Jade puckers her lips into her signature smirk, Cat and Tori do their best to get Shiloh to smile. Andre snaps several pictures, and, when he's sure he's got one, sets the camera back down.

"Let's eat that cake!" Robbie exclaims.

In response, Beck takes the cake off of the high chair and sets it on the kitchen table. After cutting it into equal parts, he begins passing the delicious-looking cake out to his friends. Jade takes one for herself and sits in the seat between Cat and Shiloh's high chair.

She pinches off a tiny crumb of cake and turns towards her daughter. "Here, Shi, open up!" Shiloh immediately opens her mouth and sucks the cake off of Jade's fingers in the cutest way.

"Aw, look at her!" Tori squeals.

"She likes the strawberry cake!" Cat points out.

As soon as the baby has swallowed it, she opens her mouth for more. Jade, of course, complies.

Once they're finished, Beck suggests that they open presents. Tori and Andre are quick to offer theirs, which turns out to be a "Mozart Magic Cube."

"Cool! What…is it?" Beck asks.

"The lady recommended it at this little kid's music store we went to," Tori explains. "It can play a bunch of different songs, and she can push buttons to include or exclude certain instruments."

"And," Andre adds, "pictures of the instruments on the sides of the cube flash as they play. We figured she's bound to be a pretty musical kid, so she might as well start early."

"Wow," Beck marvels. "That's really awesome."

Jade even gives them a soft smile. "I'm sure she'll like it."

"My turn!" Cat exclaims as she pushes the present towards Jade.

"Let's see," Jade murmurs as she unwraps the gift. When she pulls the top off of the box, she pulls out an adorable blue winter dress. Beneath it are two more fall outfits perfect for the coming months—not one of them a shade lighter than red. "Cat," Jade says, unable to hide her gratitude, "these are really great. Thank you."

She shrieks excitedly before helping her best friend put the clothes back into the box. "I just know Baby Shi will look so cute in them!"

"She totally will," Tori adds. "They're adorable."

"Okay, well it's time for the final present," Beck announces. "This one's from me and Jade." He steps to the side to reveal a large, flat box that's wrapped impressively well and has a bow on top. "You open it, Babe. It's… well, it's for you, too."

Jade furrows her eyebrows in confusion; he has actually stumped her. She takes the gift from him and begins ripping off the wrapping paper. When she opens up the box, the present is revealed. It's a thick, beautiful, black frame big enough to fill a substantial space on their empty living room wall. Inside the photo frame, though, is something that nearly moves Jade to tears.

The black-and-white picture is one that Jade hadn't even known was being taken of her, which makes the piece all the more beautiful. She's leaning over their bed, where a five-month-old Shiloh lays peacefully awake. Their matching blue-green eyes are locked in on each other, and Jade's hair is falling to the perfect place so that—from Beck's angle—the picture captures both of their faces.

"Beck," she breathes, careful not to reveal her soft side in front of their friends, "it's… perfect."

He leans over to kiss her for a few seconds, pulling back with a smile. As their friends cautiously pass around the picture to get a look, Jade pulls Shiloh out of her high chair to be closer to her.

"Happy half-birthday, Shi," she whispers.

…

"You excited?"

"Yeah."

"Me too," Beck replies with a smile as he closes the car door.

Jade unbuckles Shiloh from her car seat and takes Beck's hand for him to lead her inside.

The second she's in the store, everything about what they're there to do feels more real.

"Hi," Beck greets the older woman at the front register.

"Hello, dear. How may I help the two of you? Oh, my goodness," she says, getting slightly sidetracked by the sight of Shiloh in Jade's arms, "is this your child?"

Jade nods her head.

"She's just _precious_!"

"Thank you," she responds.

"Now, now," the woman begins again. "What can I do for you?"

"We're, uh," Beck says, swallowing hard to avoid getting emotional. "We're here to pick up our wedding invitations."


	26. The Bet

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! I just want to say thanks so much for all of your support and your amazing reviews! I wanted to give little shout-outs to a few story fans who have submitted reviews that have meant the world to me. JessyRae, KendraincupcakesG, Blue Penguin Lightning, and Sshaw101 – thank you SO much for your kind words. I really, really appreciate it. **

**Funny story about this chapter... It's currently 5:30 in the morning where I live, and I stayed up all night writing this. Yes, it took me about five hours to finish. I just couldn't go to bed until it was complete! It's the longest one by about 2,000 words, so I REALLY hope you guys like it. I'm hoping to get more reviews on this chapter than any other because I'm dying to hear your opinions/thoughts on it. So PLEASE review! Now, without further adieu, here's Chapter 26!**

Chapter Twenty-Six

* * *

_Jade Elizabeth West_

_and_

_Beck Ethan Oliver_

_request your presence_

_at the celebration of their marriage_

_Saturday, the second of November_

_Two thousand and twelve_

_Six o'clock in the evening_

* * *

"Come here! Come get the giraffe!"

At the sound of his fiancé's voice coming from the living room, Beck sets the white, square invitation back on his nightstand and grabs the video camera off of the bed.

"C'mon, Shi! Go see Mama!" Beck adds from behind the camera as he strolls in and sits by Jade on the floor.

"Shiloh," Jade urges sweetly with a snap of her fingers, "come here!" As she speaks, she smiles widely—something she's gotten used to doing for Shiloh, in front of Beck only—and holds her arms out in an encouraging way.

After staring at her mother for a few seconds, the baby begins scooting slowly towards Jade. When she gets the strength to push herself up, she starts to crawl again.

"_Goooood_ girl!" Jade enthuses when Shiloh finally makes it into her arms. She kisses her daughter's cheek lovingly, making the baby giggle.

"She's getting fast," Beck compliments as he puts the camera away.

"Scary," Jade adds as she watches Shiloh climb all over her.

"Gah, I can't believe she's already crawling. It seems like just yesterday we were excited about her kicking her feet; now she's all over the apartment," Beck adds with a chuckle.

"You're just missing out on more of her growing by spending the night away from us," Jade claims as she hand-feeds little sliced grapes into Shiloh's open mouth.

"Babe, come on; we already talked about this. It's tradition that we spend the night before our wedding apart. Everyone does it."

"Not everyone has an eight-month-old that they have to spend time away from."

"If you'd let me take Shi for the night, you know I would. But I'm guessing that's still a long shot."

"Don't even think about it."

Beck grins at his daughter. "At least she acknowledges my presence now… Shiloh," he coos, "what's my name?"

Upon hearing her name, the active baby girl turns her head to look at her father. Jade, who's helping her stand by holding her little body up, decides to help Beck out. "Shiloh," she says through a smile as she points at Beck, "who's that?"

The baby knaws on her hand before imitating Jade's pointing action. "Who's that?" Jade repeats as she looks at Beck's desperately eager face.

"Da-da-da," she utters, causing the object of her attention to beam with pride.

"Ooh, I'm impressed. What is that, two times now?" Jade asks her fiancé teasingly.

"Nine, actually," he replies proudly, not the least bit ashamed about keeping track of how many times Shiloh says his name. Although his number pales compared to Jade's, he's glad that the baby's finally been giving him attention as well.

_Slaves, they are, to this child._

Beck sets the video camera on the carpet and opens up his arms. "Come here, Shi; come see Da-Da," he coaxes. The grinning baby quickly lowers herself and crawls over to her dad, who picks her up and blows a kiss onto her little belly—something that always makes her giggle.

Even Jade smiles at the sight of the two people she loves most, and moves over to sit next to Beck. As they both play with their daughter, neither one of them can take their eyes off of her. After a minute, though, Beck looks at Jade and turns her jaw gently towards him so that he can kiss her lips. "I love you," he reminds her as he pulls away. "I can't wait to marry you tomorrow."

A hint of rosiness blushes through Jade's cheeks like it always does when Beck says something so (in her opinion) cheesy—but still somehow ridiculously romantic—and she kisses him again. She used to curse her heart for skipping so many beats at the sound of his sentimental words, but she's given up completely on that effort. Sure, she's still Jade West, but she's gradually accepting the fact that becoming a mother has inevitably changed her in ways she'd never expected.

She doesn't mind it too much.

"Yeah, it'll be alright," she quips with a smile. In reality, she's never been more nervous or excited in her entire life.

...

"No, not black."

"I always do black."

"But not for _tomorrow_," Cat protests.

"What difference does it make?"

The redhead sighs. "It's your wedding day! It's supposed to be a happy day! You know, like full of rainbows and sunshine and unicorns."

"Remind me again why I asked you to be my maid of honor?"

Cat giggles. "Just not black. How about…" She trails off, flickering her eyes up and down the stacks of nail polish colors. "How about this dark purple? It's perfect because it'll match—"

"I know," Jade interrupts. "Ugh. The thought of having my nails any color but black is just…disgusting." She takes the glass bottle from her best friend's hand and spins it around in her fingers. "I guess this isn't awful. It's close to black…sorta."

"It's perfect!"

Once the girls both agree on Cat's color—fit to match the color scheme of the wedding—they hand their selections to the employees. They're regulars at this particular salon on Sunset, since Jade hates the idea of painting her own nails (but always wants them to be black) and Cat is constantly in the mood to be pampered. Just as they get seated in their chairs, the bell on the door alerts that another customer has arrived.

"Hi guys," Tori greets with a bright smile as she enters the nail salon.

"Hey, Vega," Jade responds with a little smirk.

"Hi, Tori! Jade and I picked out this color for our nails. It's perfect, don't you think?" Cat asks as she holds up the bottle of polish.

"Oh, wow," Tori marvels as she takes a good look at it. "This is like, the _exact_ color from Jade's scheme."

"I know; it's awesome! And Jade is gonna do her nails purple, because it'll go really well with her—"

"Yeah!" Tori finishes for her. "That'll look really great," she reassures Jade. "By the way, are we still the only ones who know about the dress col—"

"Yep," Jade replies. "So don't say _anything_, got it?"

"My lips are sealed," she agrees happily as she takes a seat on Jade's other side. "Hey," she says, looking at her two friends, "this is really nice. Thanks again for asking me to be a bridesmaid, Jade."

Jade pauses and gives her hand to the woman in front of her to start manicuring her nails. "I'm glad you said yes," she says simply and even hints at a smile.

"Okay, so," Cat begins again, "we know what _girls _do the day before a wedding. What the chiz are the boys doing?"

"Andre's still asleep," Tori answers with a playful eye-roll.

"Beck has Shiloh for a few hours. I told him he had to stay at the apartment with her, but he didn't really like that, so we agreed that he could take her swimming or to the park."

"She can swim?!" Cat exclaims.

Jade flickers her eyes open. "No, Cat. She's eight months old. She cannot swim. She really loves the water, though, so Beck and I take her to the pool at our apartment sometimes."

"Aw, that's adorable!" Tori expresses as her emotions begin to get the best of her. "I swear, ever since you and Beck had Shiloh, I have had the _worst _baby fever."

"Baby fever?" Jade questions.

"Yeah…you know, _baby fever_. Like…wanting a baby?"

This doesn't come as a surprise to Cat, with whom Tori has shared this secret before; Jade, however, raises her pierced eyebrow to implore the girl to continue.

"I mean, Andre and I have been in love for a while, and it's not like I'd purposely want a baby in high school, I just think that it'd be so cute and—"

"Vega," Jade interrupts, "having a baby is a lot more than it being cute. Do you realize that I've gotten like, three hours of sleep since having Shiloh?"

"Well, yeah, but it's just so sweet to see you guys as parents. Shiloh's the cutest baby in the world, and I can't help but want one! You have to know what I mean."

"Okay, sure, but—"

Jade's rebuttal is interrupted by her phone's ring. Since one of her hands isn't being painted, she has freedom to reach into her bag and pull out the pearphone. Upon seeing that the caller is Beck, she immediately panics for a brief second. Even though the mall incident had happened three months ago, Jade hasn't quite gotten over the anxiety of being away from her daughter just yet. She anxiously slides the answer bar and presses the phone to her ear.

"Hello? Beck? Is everything okay?"

"Hi, Babe," his comforting voice croons from the other side of the line.

Jade breathes a sigh of relief. "We're sorta busy," she explains. "Do you need something?"

"Nothing at all," he answers. "I just thought—"

"Ma'am, your other hand, please," the woman beckons.

"Hold on, Beck. One second." Jade tries to adjust the phone between her ear and shoulder, but it doesn't work. Since the three girls are the only customers in the salon, she sets her pearphone down on the counter in front of her and clicks the button for speakerphone before handing the employee her other hand.

"Okay, what is it?" Jade asks. "And you're on speaker, so don't say anything that—"

"Even better," Beck replies quickly through a grin. "I just thought you might want to hear this…I think someone misses you a little bit." Within a few seconds, the tiny voice comes through the pearphone's speakers.

"Ma-ma! Ma-ma-ma-ma!"

Jade has to take a deep breath in from stopping herself from getting too excited about the feeling she always gets when she hears that word. While her baby daughter innocently and happily babbles her mother's name, she has no idea of the incredible effect it has on Jade.

The bride-to-be isn't the only one moved by the eight-month-old's jabbering. Cat and Tori are practically melting on either side of Jade and making faces at each other to convey how adorable they think the situation is.

After a few seconds, Jade realizes that she has to make a lightening-fast decision. Shiloh's used to hearing her respond with words of positive encouragement—and Jade knows that that's what she's looking for. However, she's never been around Cat and Tori when this has happened, and she can't get over the feeling that she'll be judged for baby-talking to her daughter.

"Ma-ma!" Shiloh continues eagerly, obviously awaiting Jade's voice.

Jade swallows hard and breaks a smile as she looks down at her phone. "Hi, Shiloh," she says sweetly. "Mama loves you so, so much. I miss you, Baby Girl."

"Ma-ma!" The baby shrieks through a giggle. "Ma-ma!"

"Yes, Baby, it's Mama," Jade reiterates through an irresistible smile.

Just as Jade gets her hand back to hold her phone, she hears a slight shuffling noise on Beck's side of the line. After taking him off speaker, she again holds the device to her ear.

"Jade?"

"Yeah," she confirms.

"She's been saying it for the past ten minutes. _Nonstop_. I figured she wanted to hear you. Sorry if we interrupted—"

"Don't be," she cuts him off gently. "It meant everything to me."

Beck smiles and kisses his daughter's cheek. "Well, we're just here hangin' by the pool. I think she wants to swim a little bit, so we're gonna get in. Have fun with the girls today; I'll see you later."

"Okay," Jade responds as she envisions what her fiancé and baby look like at the moment. She wants nothing more than to be with them, but she reminds herself that she's got her entire life to do so. "Give her a kiss for me."

"Of course. I love you."

"I love you, too," she says before clicking the end button.

Jade takes another deep breath and drops her phone back into her bag. "Anyways," she continues casually, "what was I talking about?"

Tori can't help but grin. "You were saying how having a baby isn't all about how cute and fun it is."

Jade shrugs a shoulder. "Oh," she mutters, trying to hide the smile creeping onto her face. "Weird."

…

"Well, that went well. I thought it was pretty painless," Beck says through a chuckle as he slings his arm around Jade and kisses her temple.

"I'm just glad it didn't drag on for forever. Thirty minutes—quick and easy—that's all we needed," Jade replies as she holds their daughter in her arms. Shiloh, sucking happily on her pacifier, is sitting with her little legs strattling her mom's waist and her head resting on Jade's chest. "We'll probably need to bring the car seat in with us when we get to the restaurant. It's only six thirty, but she's had a long day and I'm pretty sure she'll fall asleep as soon as we get to the car," Jade observes before kissing her baby's head.

As anticipated, Shiloh's little eyes are closed by the time Jade lies her back into the car seat. When Beck and Jade are both buckled in as well, he starts the quick drive. His parents, who'd planned both the rehearsal—from which everyone was coming—and the dinner afterwards, had made reservations at a fancy restaurant in downtown Los Angeles for the celebration on the night before the wedding.

By the time the soon-to-be-newlyweds arrive, everyone is getting seated at the long table in the reserved room with the dim lighting. It's a rather small group made up of the couple's parents, Beck's sister Kara and her husband, Sikowitz, and their four best friends (plus Trina). It had taken some convincing on Beck's part to persuade Jade to invite her parents, but they both knew it was the right decision to make; Walter and Shelby had been positively delighted to have the privilege of attending both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself.

As soon as Beck and Jade walk through the doors, everyone greets them with a plethora of hugs and well wishes before the couple takes their seats at the middle of the table. Beck sets the car seat in the chair next to him so that they can keep an eye on their sleeping daughter, and makes himself comfortable in his place by Jade.

Much conversation ensues at the table as the wait staff begins serving appetizers and, eventually, the main courses. Before long, Andre taps his glass of champagne and rises from his seat. "If I could get everyone's attention," he begins with a charming grin. The murmurs quickly die down as the focus of the room switches to the eighteen-year-old.

"I figured, as the Best Man, I'd do the honors of kicking off the speeches tonight," he announces, still smiling. "On the first day of my freshman year at Hollywood Arts, I met a freaky Canadian kid with a head of hair like no other." The table is already laughing. "We became friends, naturally, and we hung out literally every single day. After school, we'd be at each other's houses—doin' who-knows-what—and on the weekends, too." Andre pauses for a few seconds. "Then, somethin' kinda crazy happened… He started talkin' about this girl. Man, she was _way_ out of his league. I remember when he finally told me who this _mysterious girl_ was…I've never laughed harder in my life." This gets more chuckles, and Jade's cheeks flush red as Beck rubs her back comfortingly.

"He was talking about the girl that every single guy at Hollywood Arts wanted to date. It was hilarious. But he was determined. He told me, he said _'Andre, I'm gonna get her. Just you wait, Andre, cause she's gonna be mine.'_ And here I'm thinkin', _'Alright, bro, you do that'_."

Beck can't wipe the grin off of his face at the memory.

"So he tries and tries to get this girl to go out with him. He gives her flowers—she cuts 'em up. He writes her a letter—she crumbles it up and throws it in the trash. And I was just laughin' the whole way through, thinking there was _no way_ she was ever gonna give him the time of day. It wasn't until he made her the bet, though, that things really got going." Beck, Jade, and Cat are laughing, while everyone else simply seems eager to find out more.

"I'll uh…I'll let Beck tell you guys about that one," he says through a laugh. "He can tell it better than I can. Anyways, though, his crazy bet plan ended up working, and a week later he was callin' her his girlfriend." He pauses for everyone to "aww," and can't keep the smile off of his lips.

"So here we are, four years later, and that goofy Canadian is gettin' married to that same girl. They've got the most beautiful baby daughter I've ever seen, and as one of their best friends, I've really loved watchin' them become her parents. Jade: you're the luckiest girl in the world, and I know your crazy self will keep Beck at least a little interesting," he teases. "And Beck—you're my best friend and you always will be. I can't tell you how happy I am for you guys. Congratulations."

As the small crowd erupts in applause, Andre makes his way over to hug Beck and Jade before returning to his seat. After just a few seconds, the next speaker rises from her chair.

"Okay, well I guess I'll go next, being the Maid of Honor," the bubbly redhead begins with a cute smile. She takes a deep breath and begins.

"When I was in middle school, a lot of kids used to tease me all the time. They said my brother was a freak, so I must be, too. My brother _is_ a freak…but because of it, I didn't really have any friends. And I did my best to be nice to them, but, no matter what, they would bully me. I was always the weird girl with the red hair… Until one day," Cat pauses to look at Jade, "during break time, a few of the eighth grade boys were cornering me in the courtyard and saying 'freak' over and over again. When they came towards me at first, I thought they wanted to have a party…but then I realized that they just wanted to be mean. I thought they were gonna hurt me, but someone…stopped them."

Beck looks at Jade to see her reaction to the story he'd never heard before, and the sly smile on her face almost gives away the ending to Cat's story.

"She came up and said _'You got a problem with freaks?' _and she pulled out her scissors all scary. _I_ was scared of her, but I was just glad that those boys were scared of her, too. So they started trying to explain how they didn't have a problem with freaks, but she just snipped her scissors at them and they all ran away." Everyone laughs at the fact that nothing with Jade has really changed—even from the time that she was twelve years old. Her record for intimidation had been streaking since middle school.

"Impressive," Beck whispers to Jade as the hand that he has wrapped around her waist squeezes her hip.

"And so that day, I sorta became friends with her. I don't know if she liked me a whole lot, but I liked her. Don't worry, _now_ she likes me cause we're best friends," Cat reassures the entertained party. "Ever since then, Jadey's been like my big sister. She always protects me and takes care of me. No one has ever tried to bully me again since that day in middle school, and I think it's cause they know Jade would take her scissors out again." Jade laughs and nods her head in confirmation.

"I think it's really cool," she continues, "because now I'm not the only one that Jade protects so much. Eight months ago, I met a little, tiny person that Jadey would do anything to keep safe. She's the cutest baby in the whole world, and I know that she'll always be protected for the rest of her life… because my best friend is her mom. I'm so happy that she's marrying the boy she's _always_ had a crush on. I know that you're gonna be married forever. I love you guys."

More clapping ensues as Cat and Jade embrace in a tight hug. "You're the best best friend ever," Jade whispers into her ear for only her to hear.

Once the girls are seated again, Beck's father takes the spotlight. He tells the story of Jade getting the Rottweiler for Beck, also known as the night he thought he was going to have a heart attack and die. He talks about how much she's grown and how incredibly overjoyed he is that his son has found someone like her. She keeps him grounded, he says, and "she'll embrace her role as Beck's wife just as beautifully as she's become his child's mother."

Tori goes next, and provides a detailed list of reasons why Beck and Jade are perfect for each other. She laughs about the time she helped them get back together and concludes with telling them how sincerely happy she is for them. Almost immediately after she finishes, Kara stands up slowly. As she rests her hands on her eight-month-pregnant belly, she grins at her little brother and Jade.

"The first time I met Jade, I was pretty sure she hated me." This evokes laughs from everyone again, and Jade's cheeks once again flush pink. Kara smiles at her and continues.

"She was everything I wasn't: edgy, daring, spontaneous, sarcastic, and bold. Beck brings this fearless girl home to dinner one night, and here I am—his over-achieving, pink-wearing, smiling-like-an-idiot sister. I was pretty sure that we weren't going to get along too well—and I wasn't really wrong… However, _that_ was nearly four years ago. Today, I stand here, proud to say that I _adore_ Jade. I can't explain how happy I am that my baby brother has found someone so passionate and strong-willed. I just know that you're going to be so happy together, just like you have been for years."

She pauses momentarily to brush a quick tear from her eye. "So, obviously," she says, gesturing to her stomach, "I'm going to be a mom in just a few short weeks… To be honest, Will and I are absolutely terrified… But the cool thing is that I have a brother and, as of tomorrow, sister-in-law, that I can always turn to for advice. The way that they've worked together to tackle parenthood at such an early age is just mind-blowing to me; I'm so incredibly impressed at how they have handled the situation. They have a gorgeous daughter, and—even as high school seniors—they're some of the best parents I know. Jade…if I can be _half_ of the mom that you are to my little niece, I'll know that I'm doing okay… Guys," she says as she looks at the couple, "congratulations on making it. You deserve every bit of happiness and more. I love you."

Jade beams with pride as her eyes fill with tears she won't allow to fall. "Thank you," she whispers to Kara as the girls hug. Once Beck has hugged his sister as well, he exhales and remains standing up. She looks slightly confused, but he reassures her with a kiss and draws the full attention of the entire room.

Just before he opens his mouth to speak, he hears his daughter begin to whimper. As expected, Jade quickly turns to pull her out of her car seat and, still sitting, begins rocking the baby in her arms. Shiloh naturally stops her crying immediately upon making skin contact with her mom, and Jade watches her daughter's eyes close again before turning her own eyes up to Beck, who smiles at her.

"On October 30, 2008, I made a bet with Jade West. Like Andre said earlier, I'd been busy making a fool out of myself by trying everything I could possibly think of…flowers, letters, chocolates, jewelry—boy, was I off on those diamond earrings—and nothing was working. Finally, I got so desperate that I started listening to her conversations with other people to see if I could pick up on anything she might like." This earned the laughs of everyone, including Jade.

"So on this Friday during school, I heard her talking about wanting to go to this haunted house for Halloween weekend. Apparently, though, no one would go with her because this particular house was on the set of some crazy-ass horror movie about scissors. Me, being as hopeless as I was, actually got the nerve to ask her about it. Now, this girl did not give a _damn_ about who I was—probably didn't even know my name—but I was… determined. So anyhow, she starts telling me about this psycho haunted house that's ten stories high and costs $50 to get into. It's so horrifyingly scary," Beck says with a chuckle, "that if you make it to all the way to the tenth floor, they actually give you your money back. What this girl didn't know… was that I was pretty sure that I was incapable of being scared."

Everyone is enthralled with Beck's story, even including Jade and Cat, who already know the intricate details.

"So I told her I'd go with her. And I said I'd pay for us both to go—and if I made it all the way to the top with her, she had to go on a date with me." He gets more laughs for this. "She was so sure that I wouldn't last that she agreed. So we get to this house on Saturday night and I just tell myself that if I don't make it to the top—blowing my chances with this girl I've worked so hard to get—I'll just die." Beck pauses as if he's unsure whether or not to continue.

"We all know what happened—you made it to the top," Andre says with a grin.

Beck purses his lips through his smile. "I guess it's coming out tonight." Everyone, especially Jade, looks confused at his statement, and he begins speaking again.

"When we got there, we had to go through this passageway to get to the ticket booth. This thing was supposed to be a sort-of preview to what the house would be. Let me tell you: I've never been scared in my life, but that passageway scared the crap out of me—and Jade doesn't flinch even once. I was thinking there was no earthly way I was gonna make it through ten stories, but I knew I had to… So we get to the booth and they give us our glow-in-the-dark numbers that we have to hang over our necks so that they can keep track of everyone in the house that goes in at a time. Jade says she has to go to the bathroom, and when she does… I go up to the guy at the ticket booth and sort of…explain my situation.

I'm literally fourteen years old and I'm like, _'Listen, man, my girlfriend has been so excited about making it to the top of this house… She really thought she could do it, but that passageway just scared her to death and she's all worried now that she won't make it. I'll give you double for our tickets if you can just radio your actors on the floors and let them know to take it a little easy on Numbers 13 and 14—that's us. I just really want her to be able to do this, you know?'_

Everyone is rolling in laughter as Jade's jaw drops ajar in an open, shocked almost-smile.

"So this guy probably doesn't care at all about me, but he sees the two hundred bucks in my hands and he totally agrees. I couldn't believe it, but… it worked. That night, Jade and I made it to the tenth floor of the set house of _The Scissoring_, and I won the bet. She went out on a date with me, and the rest is history."

Beck turns towards Jade, who's still shocked. "I'm so sorry, Babe," he says through a laugh. "I just had to have you go on that date with me." Jade shakes her head but can't keep herself from smiling. He bends down to kiss her before taking a sip of his water and continuing.

"Alright, so flash forward a few years and Jade's pregnant with our baby girl. Now, up until this point, my only experience with Jade and kids together was her _Jade with Tots_ segment on The Slap…and we all know how those went." He pauses for a brief laughter and keeps talking. "But let me tell you: the very second that Jade saw our daughter for the first time, I knew something had changed inside of her. I could literally see in her eyes that her heart might burst, and… I'd never been more in love with her in my entire life." He takes a deep breath to avoid tearing up, as all of the girls except for Jade already are.

"Even though she tries to hide it sometimes, it's become impossible not to see how spectacular of a mother she is. She's nurturing; since the day Shiloh was born, Jade's been the only one who can get her to stop crying no matter what. She's protective; she'd give anything to make sure that baby is happy and healthy. She stays up at night with her, she takes her to school with us…she's the best mother in the entire world. This woman—the girl of my dreams—is a full-time student and a full-time mom—and she still manages to look damn sexy one hundred percent of the time." This earns more laughs and noises, and even the tears running down Jade's face don't hide the blush in her cheeks radiating through her little smile.

"Jade…I don't know what I did to deserve getting to call you mine…but I've never been happier in my entire life than I am when I'm with you. You're my everything; you and Shiloh are my world. I can't possibly describe what it means to me that tomorrow, I'll be able to call you not my girlfriend or my fiancé, but my _wife_. I love you."

The party erupts in the loudest applause yet as Beck resumes his seat next to Jade and, cupping her cheeks in his hands, kisses her. He wipes the tears off of her face with his thumbs and, after giving her another smooch, leans over to kiss his sleeping daughter's head.

"I love you so much," she whispers.

"I love you too, Babe…more than you'll ever know."

…

"Goodnight, Shiloh," Beck breathes as he plants a kiss on the baby laying in his arms. His bags are packed to stay at Andre's for the night, and his Best Man awaits him in the car outside.

"You're sure you're okay?" He checks with Jade once more.

"We'll be fine. Cat and Tori are here, remember?" She reminds him, nodding over to her bridesmaids, who had fallen asleep on the couches.

"Alright," Beck says as he hands Shiloh over to her. "I'll see you tomorrow…you'll be the one in…"

"Nice try, Oliver," Jade quips with a smile.

"Not even the color, really?"

"You'll see me tomorrow," she answers, kissing his lips passionately.

"I can't wait."

* * *

**Please review! :)**


	27. To Have

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Mmmm, you like those?"

"Ooooh," Shiloh answers, kicking her legs and grinning at Jade as the baby shovels another cheerio into her mouth. Jade grabs the box of Cheerios off of the kitchen table and pours some more of the cereal onto the high-chair tray for Shiloh to eat. "Ma-ma," the baby giggles.

Jade smiles at her and leans over to kiss her nose. "Today's gonna be pretty crazy, Shi." She sighs, resting one side of her jaw in her hand. "I'm sort of nervous," she says quietly, careful not to wake Cat or Tori—who are sleeping in the living room nearby—up. "I think…though…that once I'm with your daddy, I'll be okay. I've just gotta make it down that aisle."

"Da-da?" Shiloh perks up at the sound of the familiar word, and Jade laughs to herself at the fact that Beck isn't here to add to his list.

"Yep," she responds to her daughter. "Yep, we'll get to see Dada today. First, though, we have to finish breakfast. Eat your chi-chi's," she directs towards the cheerios, using the familiar nickname that her daughter has picked up on.

Jade doesn't have an appetite—although she refuses to admit it's from her nerves—but she nibbles on some of the cereal anyways. As she's popping a few into her mouth, Cat and Tori arrive in the kitchen.

"Hi, Jade," Tori greets.

"Good morning, Jadey. And good morning to you, Shi," Cat coos as she kisses the baby's cheek.

"You can get some milk out of the fridge if you want. Unless you want Cheerios, the rest of the cereal's in the pantry," Jade replies.

Once the girls are seated with their bowls, Tori turns to face Jade. "So, how are you feeling? Are you excited? Nervous? Both?"

"Slow down, there, Vega… I'm fine. I just want to get the whole ceremony thing over with. I only want to be married, and I wish we could skip the whole melodramatic me-walking-down-the-aisle thing and just sign a paper and kiss or something."

"But the wedding is the best part!" Cat protests. "You're gonna look so pretty in your dress, and the weather is nice, and everything's gonna be perfect."

"I guess so," Jade mutters as she keeps her eye on Shiloh to make sure she's eating her food.

"I think that once it's all happening, you'll like it. And plus, afterwards we get to ride in limos to a super fun reception at the fancy hotel downtown where we can all get a little tipsy and celebrate the wedding. Trust me, it's a good day," Tori promises with a sure smile.

"Oh, God," Cat mumbles. "I don't know if I can drink any more of those little cups with the limes…"

"It's called a shot glass, Cat. Not a little cup," Jade corrects.

"Okay well I don't care what it's called; I couldn't see anything for like, two days. That was _not_ fun."

"Speak for yourself," Tori counters with an eyebrow raise.

Cat makes a face and then looks at Jade. "Are you and Beck still leaving for The Hamptons tomorrow?"

"Don't remind me," Jade pleads as she takes a sip of her water. Shiloh, meanwhile, slaps her little hands against the tray of her high chair in a demand for more cheerios. As Jade dumps some more cereal out, Tori furrows her eyebrows at her friend's sullen tone.

"What do you mean? Aren't you totally stoked to get to spend four days in one of the nicest places in the country with Beck?"

"Well no shi—" Jade holds her tongue because of her daughter. "No _duh_… But we sorta agreed not to take Shiloh and we've never left her before."

"You can't take a baby on a honeymoon, Jadey," Cat reminds her.

"I know," Jade retorts. "I just don't know how she'll be without us."

"Who is she staying with?" Cat asks as she finishes her bowl of cereal.

"Beck's parents. When we get to New York, we're dropping her off in Manhattan with them. Then, we're taking a three-hour train out to the Hamptons. That way, if anything happens, we're not all the way across the country from her."

"That worked out really well!" Tori compliments. "You don't have anything to worry about, Jade." After taking her bowl back into the kitchen, Tori looks up at the clock. "We should probably start getting ready."

"It's only ten o'clock; we don't have to be there for another six hours," Jade argues.

"Yeah, but this stuff takes a long time! We all have to shower, shave, do our hair, and get dressed. Plus, you have to get Shiloh ready, too."

Jade makes a pouting face. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because it's gonna be the _best day of your life_!" Cat responds happily as she jumps up from her chair. Jade almost replies with how nothing—not even getting married to Beck—could top the day she met her daughter for the first time, but she decides it's too corny and keeps it to herself instead.

Within ten minutes, the stereo in Beck and Jade's apartment is playing and the girls are in the process of getting ready.

"Jade," Tori offers, "you should shower first, and Cat and I will watch Shiloh."

"Yeah," Jade agrees reluctantly with the knowledge that she has to shower. She hands her eight-month-old over to Tori, who subsequently takes her over to the play area with Cat. As Jade walks into the bedroom, she hears Cat say something about wanting to see how fast she crawls. Jade laughs to herself and hops in the shower as quickly as possible.

When she's out, her friends are having a blast playing with Shiloh. "Jade," Cat asks upon seeing her, "why won't she say _my_ name? She says yours!"

Jade looks at Tori, who shrugs her shoulders at the question. "Cat," Jade answers, "she can't really talk yet. She just says mama and dada."

"I think she should say my name, too!"

Jade furrows her eyebrows as she watches Cat repeat her name over and over again to the baby.

"Cat! Say 'Cat'! Caaaaat!"

"Aaaaah!" Shiloh exclaims, mimicking the sound as best as she can as she shakes her arms up and down excitedly.

"Oh my god, _yaaaaay_!" Cat shrieks. "I knew she could say it!"

"Cat," Tori points out, "she didn't—"

"She must really like you," Jade interrupts, cutting Tori off as she gives her a reassuring look.

"I knew she did!" Cat says through a giggle, picking up the baby and kissing her cheek.

Once all three of them are showered, Cat and Tori start preparing their hair while Jade bathes her daughter. It's still somewhat perplexing to them how she (seemingly overnight) became such an expert at being a mom, but Jade loves getting the opportunity to surprise them.

"Hey," Tori points out, "what do you think the guys are doing?"

…

"Cheers, gentlemen. Bottoms up."

After the shot glasses clink together, Andre, Beck, and Robbie down the liquor simultaneously.

"What time is it?" The ever-conscious Robbie asks as he looks around for his pearphone. "Should we start getting ready?"

"Nah," Beck answers casually, "we've got a few hours.

"You excited for the honeymoon?" Andre asks as he takes a sip of water.

"For sure. Jade's a little nervous about leaving the baby, but we'll only be a few hours away from her and I think it'll be really good for us to spend some alone time together."

"I'm jealous," Andre admits. "Tori's been so busy with all of her homework and college applications that she hardly ever sleeps over anymore. I could definitely use a weekend away with her."

Beck laughs as he envisions all of the fun he and his bride will be having in the coming days. "Yeah… I've been waiting for this trip since I met Jade. I just can't wait to see her, especially because I have no idea what she's wearing…"

"Isn't she just wearing a dress?" Robbie asks innocently.

"Not even _that_'s guaranteed when you're marrying Jade West," Beck replies with a chuckle. "But no, I'm more talking about the color. We didn't really talk about it because I didn't want to pressure her."

Andre looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a little more…_traditional_ than Jade. I was kinda the one who wanted the ceremony in the first place, and I'm the one who had us spend the last night and today apart because it's customary. In my head, I always pictured myself getting married in the classic black tux—with my girl in white. I didn't tell Jade that, though, because I didn't want her to feel like she had to wear any specific color to make me happy. Truthfully, she looks sexy in anything—so I'm not worried; I'm just really curious to see what she chose."

"Well," Robbie adds, "I guess you'll find out soon!"

…

"Okay, are you guys good to go?" Tori asks as she zips up the hanging bag holding her dress and lays it over her arm.

"I'm ready!" Cat announces.

Other than their dresses, which they won't put on until they get there, they're completely ready. When Jade emerges from the kitchen with Shiloh, who's sipping on a bottle of milk, the girls leave the apartment and head out to Beck's car. After buckling her daughter in, Jade hops into the driver's seat and takes off.

"I'm glad it's not too cold outside," Tori comments. "Seeing how our dresses don't have sleeves, I think our arms would've frozen."

It's a short drive, and before they know it they've arrived at the local park. When Jade steps out of the car, she feels both immediate panic and relief. While she's nervous at the fact that the ceremony is less than two hours from starting, she's happy with the location that she and Beck had chosen.

This park was a special place for the couple; here in the grass, they'd said they loved each other for the first time, Beck had proposed, and they'd flown kites together (and with Shiloh) a countless number of times. Today, instead of just plain nature, though, their section of the park is reserved and decked out for the wedding.

Several rows of chairs line both sides of the aisle, all pointing towards a gorgeous arch under which Beck and Jade will exchange their vows. Also at the front by the arch is-off to the side-a piano for Andre to play during the procession, as well as a hand-woven bassinet for Shiloh to sit in during the ceremony.

Conveniently enough, the park has a cabana that John and Naomi had rented out for the wedding party to get ready in. The two suites on either side of the small building are currently occupied—the girls in one and the guys in the other. Although Jade and Beck are only a couple hundred feet away from each other, it might as well be a couple hundred miles; Andre and Cat (as Best Man and Maid of Honor) are effectively doing their jobs to make sure the soon-to-be-married couple doesn't see each other before Jade walks down the aisle.

"Eeeep!" Cat shrieks as she looks in the mirror after getting her dress on. "This dress is even cuter than I remember it being! I'm so excited!"

"Oh my gosh, Cat, you look awesome!" Tori adds. "Here, help me zip up my dress," she says as she turns around.

Jade is sitting in one of the room's big, comfy chairs with Shiloh on her lap as she feeds her out of a jar of baby food.

"Jade, if you want to put on your dress, I can fee—"

"I'm fine," she replies quickly. "I still have an hour and a half."

"Actually, it's almost five…" Tori informs her.

Jade tries not to show how much it freaks her out that the time has gone by so fast; somehow, she only has an hour before she has to be ready to walk. She doesn't look up at Tori, but instead keeps her attention on Shiloh, who's opening her mouth for another bite. "I'll get dressed as soon as I get her situated," Jade responds.

After sighing, she flickers her eyes up to see her bridesmaids. "Not bad," she teases with her smirk. "Not bad at all." Cat and Tori smile at Jade's version of a compliment.

"I'm gonna go make sure the boys look good, too!" Cat offers. "I'll be right back!"

Once she's gone, Jade finishes up feeding Shiloh and puts away her bib. As she begins undressing her daughter from her onesie so that she can put the baby's dress on, she decides to make conversation with Tori.

"So…you sure you're good to take her down the aisle?"

Tori grins. "Yeah, actually. I think she maybe might like me a little because she doesn't cry when I hold her anymore."

"And you know what to do?" Jade questions as she pulls the dark purple dress over Shiloh's head.

"I'm just setting her in the basinet, right?"

"Yep. God, I'm hoping she sits through this thing without crying."

"Well," Tori encourages, "if at any point she gets fussy, Cat or I can pick her up and hold her. It's not a big deal. Besides, rehearsal last night only took, what, twenty-five-ish minutes? I'm sure she can stay happy for that long; she does it all the time at school."

Although the words are coming from Tori, Jade can't deny how reassuring they are. "Good point," she admits. Once Shiloh's dress, shoes, and headband are on, Jade picks her up off of the couch and places her in Tori's arms. "Let's do this…dress thing."

Tori laughs as she happily takes Shiloh and watches Jade pull her dress out of the hanging bag. The bride steps behind the enormous mirror and strips down to her lingerie, her heart racing a seeming million beats a minute as she pulls the dress over her head. As she rolls her arms in, she hears Cat return into the room.

"Okay," she says nervously, "I'm coming out." There's a brief pause as she takes a deep breath. "No comments, no staring, no gasping, no pictures; just button me up. Promise?"

Tori and Cat audibly agree, but give each other looks that indicate just the opposite.

"Okay." Jade closes her eyes and reminds herself that this will all pay off once she's under the arch with Beck. As she walks out from behind the mirror, she watches Cat and Tori's jaws drop open and she immediately rolls her eyes. "Button," she directs sternly.

"Ma-ma," Shiloh, still sitting in Tori's arms, babbles as she reaches her arms out towards Shiloh.

"Hold on, Shi," Jade responds as she waits impatiently for Cat to finish doing the tiny buttons up the back of her dress.

"Okay, done," Cat says. "Turn around and look!"

Jade sighs and turns her body to face the mirror. She stares at herself up and down, taking in the vision of herself. Surprisingly, she feels _comfortable_. She feels beautiful, something she rarely experiences despite how often Beck tells her how gorgeous she is.

"I've never seen anyone as pretty as you look right now, Jadey."

"I agree. Jade, you look amazing. And the dress... The color is perfect on you."

Cat nods her head in agreement.

"I said no comments," Jade urges, but not with her usual conviction; truth be told, their compliments had even helped calm her nerves. She's been nervous about the dress since she chose it a few months ago, but her friends' words undoubtedly make her feel better about it.

"Ma-ma," Shiloh asks again, turning her body to reach for Jade. Just as Jade takes her earnest daughter from Tori, they hear a knock at the door. Before either girl can do something about it, Cat yells for the visitor to come in.

"Cat! What if—" Jade's concern is solidified when Andre pops open the door, his eyes falling immediately on Jade.

"Oh, I didn't—I'm sorry, I just—Ahhh!" Andre panics like he sometimes does, not sure what he should do.

"What are you doing here?" Jade demands.

"You're wearing—"

"Yes!" She snaps. "What, did you think this was too _predictable_ of me?"

"No, I just—"

"Did you think—"

"Jade!" Andre interrupts. "You look…nice. I promise I won't say anything to Beck."

"You won't say anything to _anyone_," she corrects.

"Yes ma'am," he agrees. "Anyways, the reason I came in is cause we've only got about thirty minutes 'til we walk and Beck wanted to know if he can see Shiloh. I can just take her over for a few minutes and then bring her right back?"

As much as Jade wants to keep her daughter in her arms, she knows that Beck hasn't seen her in almost twenty-four hours and he misses her like crazy. "I guess so," Jade answers. "She might get a little upset when I hand her to you, so just get her to Beck quickly." Jade grabs Shiloh's pacifier just in case and pops it into the baby's mouth.

As expected, the baby begins to whimper when Jade places her in Andre's arms. "Just go," Jade instructs. "And hurry back."

The Best Man is quick to listen and immediately heads down the hallway with Shiloh. Upon arriving in the suite, Beck quickly hops up from his seat and takes his daughter from his friend. After taking her pacifier out of her mouth, Beck kisses her cheek sweetly. "Hi, beautiful."

"Da-da-da-da!" Shiloh mumbles. Beck tosses her up in the air, causing her to giggle wildly.

"I missed you, Baby," Beck tells her as he kisses her head. "Your mom did a good job dressing you."

"Da-da-da," she repeats, waving her arm up and down.

Beck chuckles, looking up at Andre and Robbie. "I wish she could tell me what Jade's wearing."

Andre looks away nervously. "Uh, yeah... I mean, I was wonderin' the same thing... You know, cause I don't know either. No one does."

Beck narrows his eyes. "Was Jade in her dress when you walked in there?"

"What? No! You're talkin' some crazy chiz."

Beck almost laughs at Andre's terrible lying skills. "Tell me what she's wearing. Please, I'm dying here!"

Andre thinks about trying to cover himself again, but the secret's out and he may as well accept it. "The wedding's in less than thirty minutes! Don't bug out; it'll be better if you wait. Trust me."

Beck rolls his eyes and looks back at Shiloh. "Alright, well we should probably get her back to her mom." He kisses her cheek once more. "Dada will see you soon, okay?"

"Da-da," she mimics again, making Beck beam with pride as he hands her back to Andre.

"Tell her I say hi," Beck requests as his friend walks out the door.

…

At ten minutes 'til six, the small crowd has filed in and Andre heads out to the piano that's been set up by the wedding arch. As he begins playing soft melodies, the whispers and murmurs of the crowd give away their excitement and anticipation.

When the time comes for the girls and Robbie to walk, Beck is waiting at the arch. Andre's fingers play the tune of "Turning Page," the procession song picked out by Beck himself. As the groom waits for his friends to start down the aisle, he keeps his eyes locked on the place where he'll first be able to see Jade.

Tori is holding Shiloh, ready to kick off the procession. With just a minute left before she walks, she makes her way over to where she needs to be, leaving Cat and Jade in the cabana.

"I can't do this."

"What? What are you talking about, Jadey?"

"Cat, I can't do it," she admits as she bites the nail polish off of her fingers. "I can't walk down that aisle. Not in this dress, not with all of those people… I can't. I'm not going."

"Jade, it's gonna be fine! Beck and Shiloh are waiting for you! You can do it!"

"Oh my god, I can't. Oh my god! What the hell am I doing? What am I wearing!? No!" Jade's heart is racing as she begins to fall apart in front of her best friend. She lets her face fall into her hands as her insecurities begin seeping out from the inside. "Why did I agree to this!?"

"I—I—I don't know!" Cat stammers, becoming increasingly nervous. "Oh, god!"

"No, n-n-n-no, _you _can't freak out! Why are you freaking out!?"

"I don't know; I just thought that was what we were doing!" Cat exclaims anxiously.

"What!?"

"I don't know; don't yell at me!" The redhead begs.

"You're not supposed to freak out on me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But Jade, look at you! You're all dressed nice and pretty and Beck is already up there _waiting_! You have to go! You can do it, Jadey!"

"No. Oh my god. Just go tell them I changed my mind. Beck will get it, right? He knows I just wanted to go to a court anyways. It'll be fine. Just go!"

"I will _not_," Cat argues bravely, keeping her face stern before breaking into a giggle.

"Why are you laughing!? Go tell Beck I'm out!"

"You're scared," she says through a sweet smile. "We've been best friends for... for..." Cat immediately goes into thinking mode as she uses her fingers to count back the years since sixth grade. "…One, two, four, fi—"

"_Cat_!" Jade snaps. "I am not scared!"

"I've never in my whole life seen you be scared of something," Cat observes, finishing her thought.

"I am _not scared_," Jade fights.

"Then why don't you want to go?"

Jade's stuck. As much as she wants to deny it, she's terrified. "I knew I made you my Maid of Honor for a reason," she says, her tone indicating her thankful annoyance. "Let's go," she orders as she grabs Cat's wrist and pushes open the door.

When they reach the patch of large trees just by where everything is set up, they see Tori starting down the aisle, holding Shiloh on her hip and carrying her bouquet of flowers.

Just moments later, Robbie approaches Cat, a winning smile on his face. He props his elbow out for her to loop her arm through, and she turns around to grin at Jade before the couple steps out into the clear, beginning their walk.

Jade feels like her organs are jumping around inside her body, her bones collapsing to dust as she moves. She's never been scared in her life (she's _Jade West_) but her attempts at thinking of anything scarier that what she's about to do fail miserably. _"Just make it to Beck," _she thinks to herself. _"Just make it to him."_

She watches as Cat and Robbie make it up to the arch; after he kisses her cheek, they take their places on opposite sides. As much as she tries, she can't bring herself to look at Beck; she won't until she's already waking.

The next thing that happens almost takes the air out of Jade's lungs. As soon as Robbie and Cat are situated, everyone in the crowd rises. They're all on their feet, turned around in a tense anticipation. How hadn't she managed to prepare herself for this? The whole thing seemed so theatrical, like something that could only happen in the movies. She grips her flower bouquet nervously and takes the deepest breath possible.

"_Just do it, Jade. Just go."_

"_Come on, Babe," _Beck's thoughts urge simultaneously. _"You can do it."_

As the music continues playing the gorgeous notes, Jade emerges from the trees and curves around to get to the aisle. She keeps her head tilted down as she stares into her bouquet of violet, deep pink, and dark orange flowers. When she finally starts her journey down, she pulls her face up to look at Beck. Their eyes meet instantaneously.

"_Here it goes."_

**Author's Note: So I hadn't initially planning on splitting this into two parts, but when I hit 6,000 words and was only 3/4ths of the way through, I decided to reevaluate, haha. I hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait for you to read the next one. As always, you can follow me on Twitter at TheOtherSide and on Tumblr at TooObsessedToCare! I love you guys and thanks again for supporting my story! Let me know what you think in the reviews; the more I get, the faster I post Part Two. ;) **


	28. And to Hold

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It's hard for Beck to tear his eyes away from hers, but he does so that he can fully take in the beauty of his wife-to-be. His first thought is one he thought he'd never get the chance to think…

Jade West is _breathtaking _in white.

The top of the dress curves around her breasts like the center of a heart, and shows only a modest amount of her considerable cleavage. A transparent, lacy fabric then rises to a few inches above her chest, spreading around the back and down to make three-quarter-length sleeves. The dress hugs her skinny body until half-way down her thighs, where it expands to give her enough space to walk. Intricate lace patterns adorn the top, making a trail down the dress to the bottom, where the extra space allows for more lacy beauty.

The contrast is stunning with her black hair (free from any highlighted colors), which falls in perfect curls to either side of her neck.

She watches his eyes travel up and down until they finally meet hers again. She can see how happy he is with her color choice; even if he'd never explicitly stated it, Jade always knew that it's how he envisioned his wedding. She'd wanted to give him that, and—despite her uncertainty prior to this moment—she's absolutely positive that it'd been worth it.

She keeps her eyes locked on his as she proceeds down the aisle. _Everyone _is staring at her, but not for the reasons they always have. They're staring because she's a _bride_. They're staring because she's wearing white, something no one's used to seeing on her. They're staring because somehow, despite the anger and insecurity and bitchiness that characterizes her, Jade West has managed to evolve into a mother and wife and an absolute _vision_. And for the first time in her entire life, she doesn't mind the staring.

After what seems like an eternity of her heels sinking into the surface of the earthy green grass, she makes it up to the arch. Beck is grinning as he watches Jade hand her flowers to Cat, who will gladly hold them for the rest of the ceremony.

Jade then turns to the bassinet that sits right next to the officiator. Sitting happily in its cradle is Shiloh, whom Jade has to smile back at. She bends slightly to the side to brush gently through her daughter's hair as she kisses the top of her head. When she turns back to Beck, she places her hands in his, prompting the beginning of the wedding.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he begins, "we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Beck Oliver and Jade West." As he speaks, the couple's eyes are glued to each others', and Beck gives his bride's hands a little squeeze as they prepare for the vows.

"Beck," the officiator utters the groom's cue to begin.

"Jade," he begins, taking a deep breath, "the second I saw you, I knew that I had to find a way to make you mine. You terrified and enthralled me, and when I fell in love with you I knew that there'd never be anyone else who could do to me what you do. You have this adorable sarcasm that cuts like the sharpest of scissors, and a whole _other side_ that I've gotten to see come out of you… You're caring…nurturing…protective… and probably going to kill me for exposing it."

The audience chuckles collectively, and Jade glares at him through a harmless smirk.

"You're the most amazing mother in the world to our daughter, and I can't believe how ridiculously good my life is because of you. I promise to protect you and love you no matter what, and to always work through the hard times. You and Shiloh are my _world_," he says, reiterating his promise that he's told her before, "and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

Jade is beaming as his words sink in, and she knows it's her turn to talk.

"Beck," she starts, melting him with the way she says his name, "before I met you, I was a stereotypical goth girl. I didn't really care about anything or anyone but myself, and I swore to myself that I never _would_. But then you came along... and you really got in the way of that plan." She gets laughs from the crowd for this, and Beck's charming grin reappears on his face.

"You threw me off with your manipulative smile and your flirtatious hair and your _nauseating _happiness…"

More laughs.

"I didn't think I could ever love someone, because I didn't know how. I didn't know what is was like to..." She pauses momentarily so as to not choke on her words. "…to _be_ loved, either…and being with you was the first time that I ever got to experience that. And just when I thought I couldn't have turned into a more mushy, love-struck girl… we had a baby."

Beck's eyes are watering as both of them turn to look at Shiloh, who shrieks at the attention-again earning the crowd's chuckles. "It's scary," she says, turning back to him, "to have a child and worry about what kind of parent to be. With you, though… I've had nothing to worry about. To see how happy and proud you are to be Shiloh's dad has just been… really reassuring. So _I _promise to always love you, even when things are hard. I promise to support you no matter what, and to keep you on your toes if it's the last thing I do."

Beck smiles at her, and she can't help but smile back. With the exception of when they were broken up, never in his life with her has he _not _been able to kiss her whenever he wants. He hates the feeling; he's never wanted to do anything like he wants to taste her on his lips right now.

"The rings, please," the officiator asks as he faces Andre, who's standing behind Beck.

The Best Man pulls the little pouch out of his coat pocket and, within seconds, empties it into the man's hand. He takes the matching silver bands and hands the smaller one to Beck and the other to Jade.

Beck takes Jade's left hand and delicately begins sliding the ring onto her finger. "I, Beck, give you, Jade, this ring as an symbol of my love and commitment to you."

"I, Jade," she says as she pushes the ring onto his finger, "give you, Beck, this ring as a promise to love you as your wife forever."

"And now," the officiate declares, "by the power vested in me by the State of California, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Beck, you may kiss your bride."

The second the words leave his mouth, Beck and Jade lean simultaneously towards each other in what both of them internally agree to be the best kiss they've ever shared. Their lips linger on each other for a few short-seeming seconds as the audience rises in applause.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the officiator says again, as Beck mouths a silent "I love you" to Jade, "I present to you for the first time: Mr. and Mrs. Beck Oliver!" As the clapping continues, Andre returns to the keys to play the closing procession song. After being kissed by Beck for a second time, Jade pulls Shiloh out of the bassinet to hold her. Once the baby is in her arms, the little family walks back down the aisle together, taking in all the applause.

While everyone begins clearing out to head to the reception—which is being held at an uptown convention center—Beck and Jade take the traditional pictures by the arch. With Shiloh, without Shiloh, with the wedding party and without… Jade and Cat, Beck and Andre… family pictures… together it takes about twenty minutes to coordinate, but the couple knows they'll be thankful for it later.

"I just can't get over how lovely that was," Naomi compliments as she approaches the newlyweds. "Jade," she says, placing a gentle hand on her daughter-in-law's arm, "you look absolutely exquisite—especially in white."

"Oh, gosh," Jade replies with a small smile, "thank you, but this was more for Beck than for me. Don't get too used to it." Her genuinely sweet tone causes Naomi to emit a little chuckle, and Beck's hand tightens around Jade's waist.

"I'm not worried," she assures her. "You always look wonderful."

"Thank you," Jade says modestly. "And thanks again, Mrs. Oliver, for doing all of this."

Beck—who's holding a babbling Shiloh—and Jade watch the tears well up in the woman's eyes. "It was worth every cent," she says through a smile. "Oh look at me," she laughs, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I'm a mess! Alright, let me take my beautiful grandbaby. John already put her car seat in our car so that we can take her to the reception and you two can enjoy your limousine."

Beck grins. "Thanks, Mom," he says as he hands her the baby girl, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. "We'll see you at the reception."

Cat, Robbie, Tori, and Andre have a limo to take to the reception, while Beck and Jade have one to themselves. As soon as the couple is in the long, black vehicle, Beck wraps his arms around his new wife and immediately begins kissing her.

"Twenty hours was _waaaay_ too long for me to be away from you," he says through kisses.

"Well," she says mischievously as she pulls back slightly from him, "we _do _have a limo all to ourselves…

Her words make Beck crazy, and he pauses for a second and rolls down the barrier between them and the driver. "Sir," he asks loudly to be sure that the man can hear, "how long is the drive to the convention center?"

"We've got about fifteen minutes," he answers.

Beck grins. "Great, thanks. Oh—and could you go ahead and play the CD I gave you?" Jade furrows her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Yes, sir," he answers, sliding the disc in.

As soon as Beck has rolled the partition back up, the first track—_One Week of Danger_, by The Virgins—is starting to blare through the limo.

Jade's jaw drops open. "You didn't."

"Oh, I _did_." Playing through the speakers is the same song that'd played _that first time_ in Beck's RV, and (for no reason in particular) they hadn't replayed it since.

"I'm in my dress, Beck," she argues playfully.

"We can _easily _work around that," he encourages.

Jade laughs through her kisses and kinks her eyebrow. "Alright, Oliver," she says, pulling herself up to straddle him, "let's do this."

…

"Alright," Andre, who's DJing the reception, announces, "it's now time to clear the dance floor for the bride and groom to dance with their parents." As they make their way back to their seats, the crowd gives their applause to Beck, Jade, Naomi, and Walter, who are all approaching the center.

As the song starts, the couples naturally begin dancing.

"You look beautiful tonight, Jade," Walter says as they dance slowly to the music. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you."

Jade doesn't smile, but she looks right into his eyes. "Thank you. I'm…glad you could come," she exaggerates. In truth, it hadn't really mattered to her whether or not Walter and Shelby made it to the wedding, but she knew all along that they wouldn't decline the invitation. Now's no time to start drama, though, so she plays nice and internally counts the seconds for the song to end.

"So… how's your life been? You seem to be doing wonderfully. Beck is… a good man, and the two of you seem very happy with Shiloh."

Jade exhales as she ponders just how much her father's attitude towards her has changed since she became a mother. He looks at her, talks to her, and treats her different-better-than he had in the past. It's as if he has a newfound respect for her after watching her take such responsibility for not just her life, but also her child's.

"Things are good," she answers. "I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been hard at times, but Beck and I knew what we were doing when we chose to keep the baby. He's great with her—"

"_As _you are," Walter cuts in, evoking a little smile out of Jade.

"We work well together. We're very lucky."

"It's obvious," he concludes. He continues in typical fatherly fashion. "Have you thought at all about college? Do you know if you'll be attending next fall?"

Jade's heart skips a beat at her father bringing up the exciting topic; while she hadn't planned on bragging about it, there's no hiding how incredible the situation had worked out. "Beck and I are both going to USC," she answers. "We got scholarships for acting, so we're planning to move to an apartment closer to downtown LA next year. We'll take classes and we won't have to hire a nanny, so I think it'll work out nicely."

Walter raises his eyebrows in a surprised delight. "Jade… that's phenomenal. I'm very proud."

Jade wants nothing more than to rub it in his face with a sly, quick comment. He seems genuine, though, and she doesn't want to make anything awkward. It's enough, she decides, for both of them to know that _she won_.

"You, my dear, are the most handsome man I've ever seen in a black tuxedo."

Beck grins at his mother's comment, briefly tilting his head back in a chuckle as he leads her across the dance floor. "Thanks, Mom… None of this would have happened without you and Dad, and the whole night has really been amazing… I always dreamed of getting to wear this tux, and see Jade walk down the aisle in a white dress." He can't stop smiling as he remembers seeing her for the first time. "I've gotta be honest; I didn't think that dream would ever come true until today. It's…the second best day of my life."

"What's the first?" She asks, simply wanting to hear the answer in his words.

Beck grins. "The day I watched my wife become a mother."

The tears are returning to Naomi's eyes as as she listens with pride to her son's words. "Oh, Beck, you have no idea how idea how glad that makes me. I am just so happy for you and Jade… she's going to be the best wife to you; I just know it."

"Yeah," he agrees, "me too."

...

"I can't believe you were actually able to keep the song a secret from me," Jade admits as Beck leads her to the floor for their first dance. "Quite impressive, Oliver."

Beck squeezes her hand and laughs a little as the couple arrives at the middle of the dance floor. When the song starts, her heart starts beating faster in a somehow calming way as he takes her into his arms.

"_When I look into your eyes, it's like we're watching the night sky… or a beautiful sunrise; there's so much they hold."_

"Beck Oliver," she says through a happy sigh.

"I thought you'd like it."

"I _love_ it," she corrects him.

"_And just like them old stars, I see that you've come so far to be right where you are. How old is your soul?"_

He leans in to kiss her as they continue swaying to the music, pulling away only because they're in front of a crowd of fifty. "You're perfect. I mean that, Jade… It's too bad you don't like white, because you look _damn _good in it."

"I _don't _like it... but it was worth it to see the look on your face when you saw me," she says through a laugh.

"It was a dream," he says simply. "It _is_ a dream."

"You're so cheesy. So, so cheesy."

He smiles. "I don't care. It's our wedding day; I'll be as cheesy as I want."

"_I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough. I'm giving you all my love; I'm still looking up."_

After dancing for a few moments in silence and just listening to the beautiful lyrics, Beck begins again. "I don't know if I've ever explicitly said this... but I want to thank you." Just as she's about to ask what for, he continues speaking. "I want to thank you for giving me the best thing that's ever happened to me—besides you, of course," he says. "I've always had a sort of hard time knowing who I am…defining myself. I could be the actor, the boyfriend, the clown, the rebel… Unlike my beautiful _wife_, who knows _exactly_ who she is, I've struggled with who I am for a long time…"

"_And when you're needing your space to do some navigating, I'll be here patiently waiting to see what you find."_

Jade instinctively holds on to him tighter, hoping to convey her sense of attachment to and support for him.

"But, because of you… I now know exactly who I am. I'm a husband, and—just as importantly—I'm a father. And so I wanna say thanks. Thanks for being mine, thanks for giving me Shiloh, thanks for being the most incredible woman on the planet."

"_Cause even the stars—they burn; some even fall to the earth. We've got a lot to learn. God knows we're worth it. No, I won't give up."_

Jade feels like she could melt right on the hardwood floor. In the moment, she couldn't care less about kicking herself for her mushy feelings; she's so in love with Beck that she could die, and it's the only thing that matters as they hold each other on the dance floor.

"You're just so lucky to have me," she teases.

"So_ fucking _lucky," he mouths, causing both of them to laugh.

_"__I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am."_

"That being said," Jade speaks softly, "I need to thank _you_… for always putting me first and protecting me. As much as I used to hate it, you know me better than _I _know me. You always say and do the right things, and I don't know where I would be if you hadn't forced me into that date four years ago."

"I did not _for_—"

"Yeah, yeah, I lost the bet," she finishes for him. "You're just lucky you're such a good kisser. Do you remember that make-out session we had on the bench outside after the movie?"

He chuckles. "Are you kidding? I'll never forget it. I was so scared that you'd slap me, but the sexual tension was _waaaay_ too much to ignore. I knew you loved me from the second you got out of your dad's car at the movie theater."

"Shut up," she taunts, tilting her head up to kiss him.

"_I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough. I'm giving you all my love. I'm still looking up."_

As the song begins coming to a close, Jade rests her head on Beck's chest as they lean into each other for the last few lyric lines. Upon its ending, their guests erupt in applause as the couple shares another kiss and exits the dance floor. They head over to John, who's holding an evidently tired Shiloh.

"Here, I'll take her," Jade offers, carefully pulling the sleeping baby into her arms. Beck stands by her supportively, rubbing his wife's back and staring at the beautiful little girl laying on her chest. "You're still sure you can keep her for a few days?"

"Absolutely; it'll be our pleasure," John answers. "Naomi has the bag you packed and all of the helpful instructions, and if anything happens we'll just be a few hours away."

Jade gently rocks her body back and forth as she kisses her daughter's forehead. "I'm really gonna miss her," she confesses to Beck.

"I know, Babe; I am, too. It's only four days, though, and I promise that we're going to have time time of our lives in The Hamptons," he assures her with a wink, causing her to smile.

"I can't wait."

…

As the couple walks through the two lines of their clapping guests upon their exit, they hold hands and continuously smile at each other. At the end of the lines is their limousine, waiting to take them to the hotel they're staying at for the night. They hug their friends and family goodbye, and, after kissing Shiloh goodnight and goodbye, hop into their limo together.

Once again, they can't help but make out as soon as the door is shut. After Beck takes off his coat and tosses it to the floor, he cups Jade's cheeks in his hands.

"I love you, Jade West."

She pauses to give him a sly smirk. "I think you mean Jade _Oliver_," she revises before kissing him again.

Beck beams. "I like the sound of that… Jade Oliver."

"I love you, too," she finishes, a sexy grin lighting up her face.

"Round two?" He begs, already helping her unbutton the back of her dress.

"Oh, you know it."

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, well that's it for the wedding and I hope you guys liked it; I know I had fun writing it. If you're curious to see what Jade's dress actually looks like, I'm posting a picture of it on my Twitter (TheOtherSideFF). Next is a little announcement about a little contest I'm doing…**

**Starting as soon as I post this chapter, you can submit (through a review or message or whatever) what your favorite part of the story has been so far. It can be from any of the past 28 chapters, and just let me know what it is and WHY. My top three favorite submissions will get to choose a flashback that they want to see in the all-flashback chapter that's coming soon. This can include things with/without Shiloh—it's whatever YOU want to read! I am so excited to write the flashback chapter, so I wanted to find a cool way to incorporate what you guys want into it. **

**So, again, I hope you enjoyed the wedding, and get those submissions in! The deadline is Wednesday, November 14. I can't wait to read them! XOXO **


	29. Best Days

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Beck wakes up just before noon, he does a double take to make sure he sees the number on the clock correctly. He can't remember the last time he's woken up past eight, and he has to take a second to remind himself that he doesn't have a baby to feed, hold, or watch.

His left arm is snaked around Jade's body, holding her close to him as she sleeps. She's lying slightly on her side that faces him, and her hand rests on his bare chest. It's only about twenty minutes before her blue-green eyes open and she turns her head to look up at him.

"Good morning," he says softly as he kisses her forehead.

"What time is it?" She replies, furrowing her eyebrows as she sees that some light has shone into the room. She hasn't woken up past the sunrise in almost a year.

"Noon," he says with a chuckle. "Can you believe that? We actually got ten straight hours of sleep."

Jade takes a few seconds to let his words sink in. "Have you talked to your parents?"

"Yeah," he answers. "They texted that everything is great with Shi and that they hope we're having a good time."

She smiles at the good news and stretches her neck up to kiss his lips. "Last night was amazing."

He grins and pulls her up to lay on top of him. "_You_ were incredible," he compliments. "Is it just me or was it better now that we're married?"

"Oh, definitely," she agrees, leaning in to kiss him again. As his lips explore her lower jaw and neck, he sees the faint remains of a hickey near her collarbone. He presses his lips against her skin, but quickly breaks into a laugh.

"What?" She asks, pulling herself up to look at him. "What's so funny?"

"You have a little love bite," he points out through a smile.

Jade feels around for the slightly sensitive spot on her neck. "Oh. Well, it's not like it's the first one."

"I know," Beck continues, still smiling, "but it just reminded me of the first hickey I ever gave you."

* * *

_As Jade rolls over in an attempt to wake herself up, she finds that she's entangled in Beck's arms. The feeling is still a little strange to her—it being only the fourth time she's slept over in his RV—but they've been dating for almost a year now and she feels more comfortable with him than she's ever felt with anyone in her whole life._

_A click on her pear phone tells her that they've got about an hour before they have to be at school, so she tosses Beck's arm off of her waist and forces herself out of the bed. _

_She heads over to the mirror that sits above his dresser and immediately notices something different. Planted on her neck are two grape-sized hickeys—the first ones she's ever received. "Oh my god," she gapes, pressing her fingers over the spots. At this point, Beck has opened his eyes and is still laying lazily in his bed._

"_Beck," she whines, turning around to face her boyfriend, "look what you did last night."_

_The proud sophomore can't help but grin as he gets a better look. "You like it when I kiss your neck; what was I supposed to do?"_

_Jade groans and walks back over to his bed so that she can sit in his arms. "What are people gonna think when they see these?" _

_Beck laughs and begins kissing the other side of her neck. "Since when do you care about what other people think?"_

"_Beck, stop," she pleads, but they both know she doesn't actually want him to._

"_Trust me, Jade: these probably won't be the last," he teases as he moves his lips down to her chest. "Don't worry, I'm sure you can cover it with makeup."_

_Jade breaks a smile and pulls his face back up to meet hers, pressing her lips against his._

* * *

She laughs with him as she remembers the incident. "After the initial shock sank in, I actually sorta liked it," Jade confesses, to which Beck raises his eyebrows in curiosity. "If anyone happened to see them, it was sort of a way for them to know I was _yours_."

"I had to mark my territory so that none of the other guys would go after you," he claims with a cheeky grin.

"No worries," she says, kissing near his ear so he can feel her warm breath on his face, "I'm all yours."

After they kiss and play for a little while longer, she resumes her position in his arms. "I have to admit, though, your jealous side _is_ sexy."

"What do you mean my jealous side?" He asks defensively. "I don't get jealous."

Jade raises her eyebrows accusingly. "Junior year. Karaoke Dokie."

* * *

"_Hoooooold on, it keeps gettin' better!"_

_As Jade belts out the final note of the Christina Aguilera pop ballad, she gains the applause of the entire crowd at Karaoke Dokie. Everyone is on their feet, clapping for the insanely talented seventeen-year-old. She hops off of the stage fearlessly and into the arms of her boyfriend, who treats her to a kiss._

"_You," he says as his arms wrap around her little waist, "were incredibly hot."_

_She grins against his lips as she greedily pulls their faces together again. "I know," she whispers, and Beck swears that if they weren't in public that he'd take her right this instant. _

"_Come on," he says as he leads her back to the table. "Our food just got here." Once they're seated at their table for two, Beck stands up again quickly. "I've actually gotta use the restroom," he tells her before kissing her cheek. "I'll be quick."_

_It bothers Jade that he's leaving her, but she tries to ignore it as she sips on her soda. She's not alone for long, though; just seconds after Beck's disappeared into the bathroom, three attractive guys that look about her age (or maybe a couple of years older) approach her._

"_Hey, Sexy," one greets as he takes the seat that Beck had previously occupied._

"_That was a damn hot performance you gave up there," another adds._

_Normally Jade would reach for her scissors at a scene like this, but she's on a confidence high and it's nice to be flirted with by someone besides Beck _for once_. At school, no one dares to so much as set their eyes on Jade because they fear the repercussions from Beck. He's fiercely protective of her, but she likes it like that._

"_I'm Asher," the brunette who pulls up a seat next to her says. "And you are..."_

"_Jade," she answers plainly._

"_Even her name is sexy," the second one contributes._

"_So Jade," the first one starts again, "who's the idiot that left you sitting all alone at your table?"_

_She rolls her eyes, which only turns the three of them on even more. "His name is Beck," she answers, purposely leaving out the term "my boyfriend." _

"_A guy, huh?" Asher inquires. "Good thing he's not your boyfriend," he assumes as he slings his arm around Jade's shoulder. Just as she's about to object, Beck returns to the table from the bathroom._

"_Hey," he barks, throwing Asher's arm off of his girlfriend. "What the hell is going on here?" He demands angrily._

"_Aww, is the boyfriend a little angry?" The first one taunts with a chuckle._

"_The _boyfriend_ doesn't have a problem giving out black eyes. I suggest you get the hell out of my seat and leave her alone."_

"_Beck," Jade counters, touching his arm in a somewhat cautious manner, "calm down; it's fine."_

"_Yeah, Beck," the second mocks, "calm down; all we wanted was to tell Jade how _sexy_ she looked up there... Those legs... that _ass_—"_

"_Alright, that's enough," Beck sneers, grabbing the guy by his shoulders and forcing him to rise from his seat. "It's time for you to go." Before Beck can turn around to defend himself, Asher shoves him to the side._

_Beck is steaming, prompting Jade to stand up and pull her boyfriend back from the three offenders._

"_Look at your girl, coming to your rescue," the second jabs._

_It takes everything Beck has not to give the idiot a taste of his fist, but he feels Jade's hands on his shoulders and reluctantly refrains._

"_Just get the hell out," he commands, causing the guys to back off and return to their seats across the restaurant, laughing as they do._

"_Where did _that_ come from?!" Jade asks as Beck sinks into his seat._

"_What were you doing flirting with them?" He clamors, ignoring her question altogether._

"_I wasn't doing anything with them! They sat down with me and were complimenting the song; it was no big deal."_

_His cheeks are flushed a hot red as he takes a sip of his water. _

"_I've never seen you get so jealous before," she claims in a satisfied tone._

"_Yeah, well. People at school know better," he argues. _

"_Mm-hmm," Jade murmurs, her sly grin remaining on her face._

* * *

"Alright," Beck admits, "not my finest moment."

"Not your finest moment?" She repeats. "Honey, you looked like you wanted to rip those guys' heads off."

Beck is uncharacteristically quiet for a few seconds, causing Jade to turn up to face him. "What?"

"You've never called me 'honey' before," he confesses with a charming smile on his face.

Jade rolls her eyes to try to distract him from the blush tainting her cheeks. "Whatever..."

"No," Beck says, leaning in to kiss her, "I like it."

"Don't get cheesy," she warns.

"Say it again," he pleads.

"No!"

"Come on... Please?"

She sighs. "You're obnoxious, honey."

He laughs. "I'll take it." After kissing her again, he leans back into his pillow. "Hey, speaking of memories..." Beck reminisces, "guess what I found in my wallet yesterday?"

"What?"

Beck reaches for the nightstand of the bed in their hotel room in The Hamptons, grabbing his black leather wallet. When he pulls out the picture, Jade leans her head closer to him in a sentimental way. "Oh, I'll never forget _that_ day."

* * *

"_We probably won't even be able to see it."_

"_Yes, we will; they wouldn't have scheduled you an appointment if we weren't gonna get to see our kid."_

"_I've been pregnant for like, five weeks. It's barely a speck of dust at this point," Jade argues as she lies uncomfortably on the patient's table._

_Beck brushes her hair behind her ear and moves his hand into hers. He knows she's grumpy and especially nervous, and he feels her body relax quite a bit once their fingers are intertwined. "Well," he says, "I guess we'll find out soon; they said the doctor would meet us in here in less than ten—"_

"_Good morning," the woman greets as she walks into the little room. "My name is Josie Teller, and I'll be your obstetrician." She smiles warmly and extends her hand._

_Jade shakes it after Beck discreetly nudges her. "I'm Jade."_

"_It's great to meet you," Dr. Teller says. "And you are…" She trails off, looking at Beck with an outstretched hand._

"_Beck Oliver," he answers happily, "the father."_

"_Wonderful. Well, I guess we'll go ahead and get started with the ultrasound."_

_When Dr. Teller rubs the cold gel all over the tiny bump on Jade's stomach, she groans quietly in dissent, prompting Beck to kiss her head and lovingly squeeze her hand._

_Once Josie begins sliding the motion-detecting stick around on Jade's belly, the image of her womb appears on the monitor and the doctor points to a tiny blob on the screen. "It's a little difficult to see, at first," she cautions, "but in just a few seconds… we should be able to hear—"_

Ba-Boom. Ba-Boom. Ba-Boom.

_The sound comes out of nowhere, and suddenly Beck and Jade can hear the heartbeat of their baby. Jade is frozen—terrified—and Beck can't wipe the shocked smile off of his face. _

"_So there you have it," Dr. Teller announces. "I'll give you two a few minutes while I print your pictures," she says kindly before exiting. _

_Jade's heart is racing much faster than her child's, and she has a look of panic on her face that she's not doing a great job of concealing._

"_Jade," Beck whispers, "look at that." He presses his lips to her cheek and sandwiches her hand with both of his. "That's it, Babe. That's our kid."_

_Her eyes are locked on the moving picture displayed on the monitor, and, as much as she'd like to listen to Beck, the thumping sound is ringing through her ears as if it's the only noise in the world. When she finally pulls her eyes away to look at Beck, he knows she's successfully holding back tears. She's quiet, but she doesn't need to say anything for him to know that she's happy._

_As he kisses her, she places her free hand on his cheek, pulling him closer to her._

* * *

As Jade holds the sonogram picture in her hand, all of the feelings flush back to her from the day they first saw Shiloh. Her eyes flicker to the top right corner of the photo, where the name "West, Jade" is printed.

"Do you remember Andre's face when he saw that?" Beck chuckles. "Priceless."

* * *

_4:00 on Friday couldn't have come fast enough for the high school juniors, who had made it a sort-of tradition to hit up Nozu for sushi before the weekend._

_Despite Jade's persistence in trying to convince Beck that their friends didn't need to know, the couple eventually decided that today would be the day to tell their friends about the pregnancy._

"_So," Beck starts as soon as the waiter is gone, "We wanted to…tell you guys some news." Everyone—except for Andre, who's in the bathroom—is enjoying their sushi, unaware that Beck's next words will shock the hell out of them._

"_Did you finally decide to go see Princess Unicorns 3 with me!?" Cat exclaims._

_Jade rolls her eyes. "I'd rather shove a—"_

"_No, Cat," Beck interrupts with a forced smile. He squeezes his girlfriend's hand under the table. "Jade and I…are gonna have a baby."_

_There's a few moments of complete silence while Tori pretends to be surprised and Robbie's jaw drops open. _

"_A real one?" Cat cries._

_Jade narrows her eyes and almost says something sarcastic before she remembers that Cat wouldn't get it. "…No chiz, a real one. I'm pregnant. And it's not a big deal and we don't care about your comments."_

"_Did you go to the doctor to get a picture yet?"_

_Before Jade can stop him, Beck has announced that they had already been and is pulling the sonogram out of his back pocket. "We went last weekend," he continues as he hands the picture to Tori._

"_The little blob that's circled…is that the baby?" Robbie asks as he looks over Tori's shoulder._

"_No, the doctor just decided to draw a random shape on the picture," Jade replies sardonically._

_He gets the point, and soon the picture's in Cat's hands as Andre returns to the table. "What'd I miss?" He asks casually, not expecting too much of an answer._

"_Look!" Cat announces, handing him the picture. _

_Andre looks at the picture cluelessly as he picks up a sushi roll with his chopsticks. "So, uh… what am I lookin' at…?" Halfway through his last word, his eyes land on the name in the corner of the photo. "Wait, is this," he utters, looking up at Jade, "are you…"_

"_Pregnant!" Cat finishes for him._

_The sushi falls off of his chopsticks as his mouth falls open in a shocked smile. "Are you serious?"_

_Beck nods proudly as he takes his arm from under the table and wraps it around Jade. "Yep."_

"_That's… that's…wow," he says._

"_Congratulations, guys," Tori finishes his thought._

"_Yeah, congrats," he adds._

* * *

"Now that I think about it, though, he seemed sort of upset," Jade recalls.

"Not so much upset as…jealous," Beck admits. "We talked about it."

"Jealous?" Jade asks incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Not at all," he says. "He knew back then that he wanted to be with Tori, and he felt like a pregnancy would… I dunno, seal the deal. When he saw how well things were going for us, I guess he just got a little jealous."

"Ha," she barks. "What is it with people thinking that being pregnant and having to go to school is so fun and easy? Tori's told me the same thing, and I'm just like, 'Yeah, Vega, I'm sure you'd still be having a blast when you've got vomit in your hair and have to be at school in thirty minutes'."

* * *

"_I'm sorry, Babe. I'm so sorry," Beck says while he rubs his girlfriend's back. As she bends over on her knees in their bathroom, Jade forcibly empties the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. First period starts in half an hour, but there's nothing she can do about the fact that she's been sporadically vomiting for almost an hour._

_Her morning sickness epidemics occur three or four times a week, and each time, Beck stays right by her side to help her through it. He's holding her long, dark hair back as she grips either side of the toilet and repeatedly gags. When it's finally over and they've got fifteen minutes to be at school, he helps her up and gets her a cup of orange juice to settle her stomach. _

"_Take your time getting ready," Beck offers as he pulls her into a hug. She rests her head on his shoulder as she tries to hold back tears from the pain that's burning in her throat. "We don't have to make it to math today." As he holds her tightly, he whispers that he loves her and kisses her hair. _

"_It's all gonna be okay, Baby. I promise. I'm here."_

* * *

"Ugh," Jade grunts, "I do _not_ miss that."

"You had the sickness pretty bad," Beck concedes. "I loved when you were pregnant, though. I mean, having Shiloh here with us is obviously better, but getting to guess her gender and feel her kicks were pretty awesome."

Jade laughs. "It was _pretty awesome_ when it wasn't at three o'clock in the morning."

* * *

_For what seems like the millionth night in a row, Jade is restless. Her bulging stomach that houses the five-month old fetus never fails to keep her tossing and turning throughout the night; even Beck's warm presence in bed with her can't help._

"_You okay, Babe?" He whispers after she's involuntarily woken him up. _

_She moves around in frustration. "Does it look like I'm okay? I haven't slept all night because no matter what position I lay in, I can't get comfortable. There's a fluttering in my stomach that won't go away and it's making me nauseous and I—"_

"_Okay, okay," he coos comfortingly. "Come here, lay on your side towards me." Jade sighs, but complies with his request, desperate for her eyes to close in sleep._

_Once Jade is still, Beck rolls up her shirt and places his hands on his girlfriend's bare stomach. She gives him a strange look, but doesn't object once he begins rubbing his hands in circular motions. "I read about this in one of the books," Beck explains. "Does this help?"_

_Jade takes a deep breath in relief; she hasn't felt this relaxed in months. She nods her head generously and lets her eyes shut. Amidst her peace, though, she suddenly feels a sharp jab coming from her interior. Beck notices, too, and immediately freezes as they stare at each other in confusion._

"_Was that…" he trails. Jade doesn't respond, but someone else does. Just seconds later, he feels another nudge against his hand. He forces a breath through a smile, but Jade winces in pain. "That's… that's the baby kicking? Is that what it feels like?"_

"_It has to be," she concludes. "I can—" Her word is interrupted by another kick. She tries to breathe as she takes in the magnitude of the situation. Besides the morning sickness and the obvious bump, she hasn't felt any real proof of her child. This is Baby Oliver—as Cat would so innocently put it—kicking to feel for her parents._

"_It hurts," she confesses. _

"_I'm sorry, Babe. But if it's anything like you, you can probably expect a lot more where these came from," he jokes, not to her amusement. _

"_I…can't believe it's actually kicking."_

"_Pretty cool, huh?" He adds, still smiling. He leans his head in to kiss her lips. "We're feeling our baby." _

_Jade can't help but smile a little. "Just keep rubbing," she pleads. "It…helped."_

"_Good," Beck replies and does as she asks. "Hey," he says again after a minute or two, "you know I'd do anything for you, right?"_

_She furrows her eyebrows at the randomness of his question, too tired to give him a verbal response._

"_If me rubbing your stomach makes you feel even a little bit better, I'll do it until this baby is born. I want you to be as comfortable as possible and—"_

_She replaces his words by pressing her lips against his as she snuggles up closer to him. "I know," she whispers. "I love you."_

* * *

Beck pulls his wife into him and kisses the top of her head, prompting her to lift her chin up to look at him. Once they're face to face, they share a sweet kiss that ends in both of them smiling.

"Maybe we'll get to experience it again someday," he offers.

"What?"

"I mean... maybe... one day... in the future..."

"Another baby?" She cuts in.

"Yeah," he admits sheepishly. "Obviously not for a few years, and only if you want to; I just figured we've had so much fun with Shiloh, that once we're out of college, it might be cool to... I dunno, give her a sibling."

Jade bulges her eyes. "Beck, just the thought of being pregnant again makes me nauseas."

"Okay, fair," he says. "But you can't deny that you'd kill to relive all of her firsts. I know I'll never get over the first time she said my name."

Jade laughs. "Yeah, you practically pushed it out of her!"

"And now she says Dada," he claims proudly.

* * *

"_Say it, Shi! Da-Da! Daaa-Da," Beck encourages._

"_Ma-ma," the baby utters again._

"_That's right," Jade relishes, leaning over the high chair to kiss her daughter. "Ma-ma."_

"_Ma-ma!" Shiloh exclaims again._

"_C'mon, Babe. If you say it, I _know_ she will."_

_Jade laughs and sits back down by her fiancé. "We'll see… Shiloh," Jade coos, "say Da-Da. Da-Da."_

"_Ma-ma!"_

_She grins. "No, Shiloh. Da-Da."_

_The seven-month-old looks somewhat confused as she gazes back and forth between her parents, who are both coaxing their daughter to say the word. "Da-Da," Jade says again._

"_Da-da-da-da," she repeats after her mother._

"_Yes!" Beck blurts out. "Shiloh, what's my name? Say it again! Da-Da."_

"_Da-da-da!" Shiloh follows, kicking her little legs excitedly. _

_Beck is grinning so widely that he swears the ends of his lips are touching his ears. He immediately pulls his daughter out of the high chair and tickles her all over, making her erupt in her baby giggle. He tosses her into the air—and Jade's heart skips a beat—and, of course, catches her back into his arms for more snuggling._

* * *

"All I'm saying is that it would be nice to get to do it all over again once we're in the right place to have another kid," Beck offers.

Jade laughs. "I'll think about it." She turns her body to face him again and kisses his cheek. "It doesn't hurt to practice, though," she implies as she watches his face light up.

"Gah, I love you so much," Beck says before crashing his lips into hers and pulling her on top of him.

Jade kinks her eyebrow and pulls away from his mouth for just a second to smile at him. "I sorta like you too…just a little." Before she knows it, they're kissing again.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! What was your favorite flashback? :)**


	30. The Other Side

**Author's Note:** **Happy Thanksgiving! The day has finally come; I'm sad to say that this will be the last chapter to this story. I have loved every second of writing this, and I am so thankful for all of you guys. Thank you so much for reading, favoriting, reviewing, believing in me, and supporting me no matter what. This chapter is dedicated to all of you. I love you, and thanks. Enjoy. XOXO**

* * *

Chapter Thirty – The Other Side

"Aaaaba. Ba-ba-ba-ma-ma-ma…"

As his daughter's babbling becomes increasingly louder—indicating that she's awake and ready to be picked up—Beck quietly rolls out of bed and appears at his daughter's crib.

"Da-Da!" She squeals, bouncing her body up and down as she stretches her arms out to reach for her dad.

Beck grins and pulls his happy almost-nine-month-old out of her bed, much to the baby's delight. "Hi, Gorgeous," he whispers before kissing her puffy little cheek, careful not to wake his still-sleeping wife. Once their bedroom door is closed and he's made his way into the kitchen, Beck sets Shiloh in her rocker and starts making waffles. Although it's one of the only breakfast foods he knows how to make, it's the only one that really matters because it's Jade's favorite. That is, of course, besides coffee—which he's also started brewing.

"Are you excited for your first Thanksgiving, Shi?" Beck asks as he eyes his daughter.

In response to the attention she gets, Shiloh kicks her legs and babbles some more. "I'll take that as a yes," Beck replies with a chuckle. When the first one is ready, he tears off a tiny piece of the sweet, warm waffle and hands it to her. She sloppily pushes it into her tiny mouth, smiling at her dad as she chews it.

"Mmm. You like that, don't you?" Beck grins. "_Just_ like your momma."

"Ma-Ma?" She repeats, turning her head from side to side to look for Jade.

"We'll go see her," Beck answers as he plops the final waffles onto a plate. "Come on," he says as he grabs the coffee mug and picks the baby up again.

Upon re-entering the bedroom, he sets the coffee on his wife's nightstand and puts Shiloh down onto their bed. "Go wake up Momma," he whispers. "Go get her!"

Shiloh understands enough of what Beck is implying to follow his instructions, and subsequently begins crawling quickly towards Jade. "Ma-Ma!" She exclaims excitedly. "Ma-Ma!"

Almost immediately, Jade's startled eyes flutter open and land on her daughter. "Ma-Ma," the baby repeats, after which Jade has to laugh.

"Good morning, Crazy," she greets as she leans over to kiss Shiloh's nose.

"Morning, Babe," Beck follows, bending down to press his lips against hers. "Happy Thanksgiving," he says as he hands her the coffee mug.

"_There_ it is," she replies as she takes the cup and sips on it. After setting it back down and pulling Shiloh into her arms to cuddle her, she sniffs the air a few times. "Do I smell…"

"Waffles," Beck finishes for her through a proud smile. "Why yes, _Mrs. Oliver_, you do."

Jade purses her lips. "Still not over it, huh?"

"It doesn't get old."

She rolls her eyes playfully and kisses Shiloh's head. "Your dad is so weird," she says to her daughter. "Good thing you're more like me," she concludes as she grabs the mug and slides out of the bed.

Beck laughs as he leads them into the kitchen. "Actually, I think she's more like me."

"Definitely not. She has my eyes, my skin, my lips, my—"

"_My_ hair, my nose, my temperament…" Beck interrupts teasingly.

Jade narrows her eyes at her husband as she sets Shiloh in her high chair. "Maybe that's because you have the temperament of a nine-month-old."

He has to chuckle at her comment as he brings the tray of waffles to the kitchen table. "All I'm saying is that for being your daughter, she sure is one happy baby."

"Yeah, well," Jade says, shrugging a shoulder, "I guess her dad is _one happy guy_."

Beck sets her plate down in front of her and surprises her with a kiss. "Damn right he is."

"Aaaaa!" Shiloh hollers, opening her mouth and reaching towards the plate of waffles on the table.

"Oh, she loved the waffle I gave her," he adds as he breaks off another few pieces and sets them on her high chair tray.

Jade smiles at the baby. "Do you have the same favorite breakfast as your momma?"

Shiloh grins and kicks her feet as she nibbles on the waffle.

"So I was looking at apartments near USC," Beck starts as he sips on his coffee, "and they've got some nice ones. I'm thinking a two-bedroom with some more space will be perfect."

Jade nods her head. "God, I can't even imagine how much easier it'll be when she's not in our room."

"No more having to be quiet," he hints, causing both of them to smirk. "But really, it'll be awesome. Plus, I'm sure you'll have fun picking out the stuff for her nursery."

Jade shrugs her shoulders, but he's completely right. Once they're finished eating, she sinks back into her seat. "Do we _have_ to go to Tori's today?"

"Aw, come on, Babe. We said we'd go, and all of our friends will be there. And we're bringing the mashed potatoes, remember?"

Jade groans. "Right. You can make those."

"One step ahead of you," Beck replies. "I found a café that'll make 'em to-go, and they're totally home-made. We'll pick them up on our way over."

Jade nods her head, obviously impressed. "Sounds fine to me."

"Besides, after Tori's we can head over to my parents'. Kara and Will are in from New York and they brought the new baby."

"Oh," Jade notes as she thinks about spending time with her in-laws, "yeah, that'll be good; Shiloh can meet her cousin."

Beck grins. "Let's just hope our sassy girl likes her," he half-jokes with a wink.

…

After just an hour—they've gotten fast—both Beck and Jade are showered and have given Shiloh her bath. As Beck starts to get himself ready, Jade, still in her robe, puts the baby in a fresh diaper and pulls her Thanksgiving outfit out: tiny brown boots, dark purple leggings, a brown, long-sleeved baby dress, and (of course) her purple crochet headband.

"I will give you this," Jade concedes as she puts the headband around her daughter's thick locks, "she definitely has your hair." Shiloh's light brown hair is just long enough to curl up at the ends, and she's even got enough of it for Jade to put in a tiny ponytail if she wanted to.

Shiloh squirms around on the bed as her mom rolls her little boots on, antsy to get back to the floor so that she can crawl around. "Okay, okay," Jade murmurs once the baby is completely dressed and set on the ground, "go for it."

Beck emerges from the bathroom to look at their excited daughter moving herself all over the bedroom. As he watches from behind Jade, he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her shoulder. "Damn. We made an _insanely_ cute kid," he comments as he holds her tightly. Before long, he turns her around to face him and gives her a long kiss. "You'd better put some clothes on, woman," he teases, "or we're _definitely_ gonna be late for Tori's."

"Being late wouldn't be terrible," she counters as she kinks her eyebrow, "but it's a good thing we have a baby to keep an eye on, or else this robe would already be off." She gives him another peck on the lips, driving him absolutely crazy, and walks over to her closet to start getting herself dressed.

It's not long before she's got her Doc Martens on, complimented by her black leggings and skirt and mint green, long-sleeved shirt. Once she's packed the diaper bag and Shiloh's in the car seat, the couple takes off for Tori's.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Beck! Jadey!" Cat exclaims as she opens the door to the couple. "I'm so happy you came!"

"Hey, Cat," Beck replies as he hugs his wife's best friend. "We brought the mashed potatoes," he informs her, holding out the dish.

"You can take them to Tori in the kitchen," the redhead replies before turning to Jade and gasping at the sight of the baby. "Hi, Baby Shi! You look _adorable_!"

Jade smirks at the compliment and looks at her daughter. "Here, go see Cat," she says as she hands her the little girl.

"Yay! Come here, Baby!" Cat says eagerly as she takes the little girl into her arms. After kissing her all over, she and Jade walk further into the living room area to greet everyone.

"Hey, guys," Andre greets. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"You too, man," Beck replies as they hug each other in a guyish way.

"So, how's the baby?" Andre asks as the boys all take a seat on the couch.

"She's great," he answers. "She's perfect… crawling around like a maniac, talking in her little baby language all the time, and sleeping pretty well, too. She's a little dramatic—_I wonder where she gets that from_," Beck pauses to laugh, as do the guys.

"What do you mean?" Robbie asks.

"She just…knows who she likes and who she doesn't. And if Jade's not in her sight… watch out. It's actually amusing; she's the happiest and most mellow baby in the world until she doesn't get what she wants, which is usually either milk, Cheerios, or Jade," he says through a chuckle.

"Sounds pretty good to me," Andre comments with a smile as they look on at their girls in the kitchen. Jade is helping get the table set up while Tori finishes cooking and Cat plays with Shiloh.

It's been quite the year, but the warm holiday spirit in the house reinforces just how well everything has turned out for the group of friends. Through break-ups and make-ups, good and bad nights, and just about everything else, they've stuck it out and remained strong.

When everything is finally ready around one o'clock, Jade puts her sleepy daughter into her car seat for her to take her nap in, and the six get themselves seated around the table.

"Thanks for putting all of this together," Beck says towards the girls. "Everything looks awesome." As he speaks, the arm that he has wrapped around Jade rubs her back lovingly. Andre and Robbie agree, and before they know it, everyone's plates are full of Thanksgiving food.

"Guess what?" The always-bubbly Cat squeals, earning everyone's attention. "I'm officially going to USC! The people at the audition place said they like my voice so much that they're letting me go for free!"

Her exciting announcement is met by lots of congratulations from her friends, all of whom had already decided on their plans for next year. Beck and Jade would both also be attending the University of Southern California, Andre had decided on UCLA for music, Tori would be at Loyola for their theater program, and Robbie had accepted a film internship in Colorado for the first semester. Somehow, with the exception of Robbie, they were all ending up in Los Angeles together for college.

By the end of dinner, they've moved on to dessert Beck decides it's a good time to make his little spiel. "So," he begins, "I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you guys… Jade and I have had quite the crazy year, and you guys have been nothing but supportive and helpful to us. Robbie and Andre: you guys have always been there when I needed someone to talk to. Cat and Tori: all of the babysitting and encouraging words—it means a lot."

There's a silence in the air as Beck's heartfelt words sink in. "So, I'm proposing a toast," he says, raising his glass. "Here's to… _us_."

"To us," the others echo, clinking their glasses together.

…

The day is going as planned; after the teenagers celebrate Thanksgiving together, it's time for everyone to return to their families. Once they've said goodbye and buckled the car seat back into the car, they're off for the Oliver home—which they arrive at within fifteen minutes.

By the time Beck is parking, Shiloh's waking up from her nap and Jade happily takes her daughter out of the car seat and into her arms. Still a little sleepy, the baby rubs her eyes and rests her head on her mom's chest. Jade rubs her tiny back and kisses her head as they approach the door, at which Naomi appears at in the seconds after the doorbell's been rung.

"Hello!" She exclaims as she opens the door. "Oh, I'm so happy the three of you could make it." After hugging both of them, she grins giddily at Shiloh. "Hi, Precious," she greets. "Are you ready to meet your cousin?"

"Are Kara and Will here?" Beck asks.

"Just arrived a few minutes ago!" She answers. "They're in the living room with your father."

When they arrive in the family room, Will, James, and Kara—who's holding the newborn in her arms—immediately rise to greet them.

"Lemme see my niece!" Beck says through a grin as he subsequently approaches Kara. As he gets a closer look, he sees the beautiful baby girl that lies in his sister's arms. "Wow," he says, "she's gorgeous, Sis."

Jade nods her head as she stands by his side. "She's so tiny and cute," Jade reaffirms. "Congratulations. I promise: it only gets better."

Beck smiles at his wife and reaches his finger out to touch his daughter's cheek-getting her attention. "Shi," he coos, "look at your baby cousin." He knows she's too young to comprehend it, but she's fascinated anyways as she locks her little eyes on the infant.

"Say hi to Emmy," Jade whispers to her daughter.

"Can you say bay-bee?" Kara asks sweetly, enunciating the word for her niece.

"Baby," Jade reiterates for Shiloh.

"Bee," The little girl mumbles, causing everyone to smile.

As the two-week-old baby lies still in her mother's arms, she makes an adorable face while opening her tiny mouth for a yawn. Kara practically melts as she watches her daughter, and Jade takes pride in the fact that she knows exactly how the new mom feels.

"Well," Naomi says as she leads the group into the dining room for dinner, "can I just say how happy I am that I have the most beautiful granddaughters in the world?"

Beck laughs as Jade puts Shiloh into a high chair that the Olivers had bought specifically for her. She pulls it up to be next to her on the end of the table to be sure she can feed her daughter, and—once she herself is seated—Beck slings his arm around her and kisses her temple.

"Bee," Shiloh mumbles with a giggle as she stares at baby Emmeline, now asleep in John's arms.

"So, guys," Beck says towards Will and Kara as everyone begins passing the plates, "two weeks in… how's it been so far?"

"Honestly," his brother-in-law says, "I think we average about two hours of sleep a night. We couldn't be happier, though."

"It _is_ the greatest," Beck agrees.

"Once she gets on a sleep schedule, it won't be too bad," Jade offers. "Shiloh was difficult as a newborn, too; I swear, Beck and I were up with her at all hours of the night for the first couple of months."

"_You_ guys, though…" Kara says as she takes a sip of her tea, "You guys are like superhero parents."

Jade turns her head to feed Shiloh a bite of her baby food so that no one can see her blush. "What do you mean?" Beck asks.

"Oh, come on, Son," John contributes. "Are you kidding? You and Jade are like the world's most impressive parents. Senior year of high school with a baby—your daughter's absolutely perfect and you're graduating in the spring. It doesn't get much more admirable than that."

Beck and Jade are dually shocked by the amount of praises being sung in their honor.

"Not to mention," Kara adds with a smile, "you guys do everything perfectly. No one would have ever guessed it, but it's like you were destined to be parents."

Beck has to laugh as Jade can't hide the pink flush in her cheeks. "We really don't have everything down," she confesses. "We do a lot of stuff wrong, I'm sure, and—"

"Nevertheless," Naomi chimes in, "we are extremely proud to call you family."

Just as she finishes speaking, Emmy starts to fuss and eventually cry. No one minds, of course, but Kara exits the room to take her daughter out and starts stressing over the fact that—after five minutes—she can't get her to stop. The table conversation is still flowing, so Jade doesn't feel bad about her next move. She hands the baby food to her husband and whispers that she'll be back in a few minutes, excusing herself from the table and heading to the living room.

"Shhh, Baby, please don't cry," Kara begs as she bounces her infant around gently.

"Hey," Jade greets, causing her sister-in-law to look up.

"Sorry," she apologizes, "you didn't have to come keep me company."

"It's totally fine," Jade admits. "Have you tried swinging your body from side to side?"

"What do you mean?" The new mom asks.

"I have to do this with Shi sometimes," Jade explains. "Hold her real close to your body, and rotate your body from left to right. It can help if she's gassy cause it might settle her stomach a little bit."

Kara does as she says and, within seconds, the baby hushes her cries. "Oh my god…" she breathes. "I can't even… Thank you so much, Jade. God, I am so happy that you're my sister-in-law!" She admits.

"Ditto," Jade replies shyly. "It's nice to have a friend who's a mom, too. I mean, I have a couple of girlfriends, but they don't get it, you know? They're sweet and supportive…but it's nothing like having someone to help and get help from with our babies."

"I know exactly how you feel," Kara claims. "Thanks, Jade. You have no idea how much it means."

…

"This is nice," Jade observes as she links her arm through Beck's open elbow. He's pushing the stroller that holds their bundled-up daughter, who's babbling as she sips on her bottle of milk.

"Yeah," he agrees, "it is. Getting to spend the day with friends and family was great… but there's nowhere I'd rather be than with my beautiful wife and daughter. Just the three of us," he says before planting a kiss on her lips.

Before they know it, they've arrived at their spot in the park. Beck pulls out a few blankets from the bottom basket of the stroller, laying one out flat for them to sit on. As the couple sits on the blanket together, they watch Shiloh crawl around while they snuggle close to each other.

"I brought a little dessert," Beck announces, pulling out a thermos. "It's not very traditional, but I think it'll do."

Jade turns her head to the side in a questioning way as he opens the heated thermos. Inside is none other than Jade's favorite: macaroni and cheese. She grins as Beck grabs a few spoons from his bag and dips one in. After getting a spoonful, he feeds it to his open-mouthed wife, who kisses him after swallowing the bite.

"I love you," she reminds him.

"Good to know, _Mrs. Oliver_," he replies with a charming smile, "because I am completely, absolutely, unconditionally in love with you."

As they share a kiss, their daughter crawls up to them and puts herself in Jade's lap. "Ma-Ma," she squeals.

"Come here, sweet baby," Jade coos, raising her daughter to lay her on her chest and snuggle her.

"Da-Da," Shiloh mumbles to Beck as her had rests on her mom's shoulder.

Jade brings her daughter between them and they both kiss either sides of her little cheeks, mushing her softly into the middle of them as she grins and squeals.

And in that moment, Beck and Jade swear that they've never been happier. Their lives as regular teenagers seemed lifeless compared to parenthood; it's a whole different world with Shiloh, and they agree that everything is much better on this other side.


End file.
